Ship of Fools
by MysteriousSherlock
Summary: After dying, Loki Green never expected to wake to find himself immortal. After meeting him, April Fool never expected the secrecy that would follow. Neither of the pranksters expected to find a partner in crime, or a friend who could become something more. But when a new enemy is born, they will be put tothe test. Can they pull through? Or will the world be doomed to fall to chaos?
1. Prologue: Loki Green

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians - it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the plot and the OCs.**

**_Note:_ This story is set in 1831, and centres around two of my OCs from my story _'Friend or Foe'_. You do not need to have read _FoF_ to understand this, and if you don't want any spoilers for this story, I suggest you do not read _FoF_ (However, if you decide you want to read FoF anyway, the main spoilers are in the final two chapters if you want to avoid them). Also, due to the fact that this story is based around OCs, there will not be much reference to the Guardians ect (if _any_ reference).**

**_Note 2:_ This story was named after a song by Erasure, a link to which is at the bottom of this chapter.**

**So, if any of you have come here after reading my other FanFictions... I guess I should probably point out that I completely failed at NaNoWriMo... I blame school... So yeah, I kinda gave up in the end - but I _will_ be trying to be a bit better with the whole updating thing...**

**So, on with the story! This first chapter is technically the prologue, but since FanFiction can be a bit funny about how it counts chapters, in that if you have a prologue it throws all the other chapter numbers into a muddle, I have named this 'chapter one', and the numbering will continue on as this were a chapter, not the prologue. But, really it's just a prologue - hence the reason why it is shorter than the other chapters will be.**

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Chapter 1 - Prologue: Loki Green

Third Person

"Dr Garton, is it okay if I take a few of these chemicals?" Loki held up the bottles in question.

Dr Garton gave him a disapproving glance. "Loki, my boy, I didn't apprentice you so that you could take my chemical supplies to use for your tricks."

Loki gave him his best, winning smile. "But it's so funny to see people's reactions! Besides - it's not like I do anything that's actually _dangerous_, I know the difference between funny and downright wrong."

He sighed. "Well... Since you _are_ my best apprentice... Oh, go on then."

Loki grinned. "Thanks Doc. See you tomorrow!"

Loki placed the chemicals in his bag, and then left the building.

It was late, the sky was dark and endless, the stars spread across it like tiny shards of broken glass. The streets were just as dark, with only the occasional lampposts to light the way.

A figure emerged from the darkness. "Loki, tell me you weren't persuading the doctor to let you take chemicals from the lab _again_."

Loki turned to face the figure, his face wearing a worried frown. "Iris, you shouldn't be here. I've told you I don't know _how_ many times - the streets are dangerous at this time of night, especially for young women like you."

The girl stepped forward, and a nearby lamp illuminated her face. She looked much like Loki - they had the same curly, dark hair; the same vivid green eyes; the same marble-skin; and the same features that looked as though they had been carefully and skillfully sculpted. In short, she was as beautiful as he was handsome - which was to say, very.

"What do you mean _young women like me_?" she asked her brother. "And who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do - I'm sixteen!"

"And I'm seventeen," Loki countered, "which means I'm still your older brother, which means it's still my responsibility to look after you. Iris... You are very beautiful, and the kinds of men who are out on the streets at this time of night... You have no idea what they're like, what they'd do to you."

"Well, I'm fine. So let's get home."

Loki nodded in agreement. "Let's. Before Mother realises you're gone and gets worried."

The two of them set off down the dark street, neither of them speaking. Loki was in the lead, walking swiftly in the hope that the quicker they walked, the less likely they were to get into a difficult situation.

It was when they were not far from their home that they ran into trouble. They were walking down a narrow alley, when the end was blocked by several dark figures. They turned to go back the way they came, only to find that end blocked too.

Loki gently took hold of his sister's upper arm and steered her down the alley in the way they had originally desired to go.

"Loki, what are you doing?" Iris hissed, sounding afraid.

"Trust me," he murmured back.

With his free hand, Loki discretely reached into his bag and pulled out a small glass bottle. He made a mental note to thank Dr Garton for having all the chemicals in differently shaped bottles. It meant that one didn't have to look to know what a bottle contained.

When they had got as close to the figures blocking their exit as they dared, they stopped.

The tallest of the figures stepped forward. He was extremely muscly, tall - at least a foot taller than Loki - and he had very broad shoulders. When he spoke, his voice was a menacing growl, with a tone of authority that showed that he was the leader of the group.

"What have we here?" he asked, addressing Iris. "What a lovely young lady - you shouldn't be out at this time, you must be lost. How about we help you find your way home - we'll even let you visit out place on the way."

Loki protectively put an arm round his sister's shoulders. "As kind as your offer is," he said, diplomatically, "she is my sister, therefore _my_ responsibility. I will be taking her straight home, if you gentlemen would be kind enough to step aside." His tone sounded reasonable enough, but there was a dangerous edge to it that quite clearly portrayed the message that he wasn't going to take _'no'_ for an answer.

The men, including the ones from the other end of the alley, who had closed in on the siblings and were now standing right behind them, did not move.

The leader grinned, horribly. "Oh, but I wouldn't want the lovely lady to miss out on all the fun we're going to have. Oh _yes_, we're going to have _lots_ of fun tonight, aren't we lads?"

There was a chorus of laughter and _'yes'_s from the men.

Iris trembled and seemed to get smaller.

"_'Fun'_," she whispered to her brother. "He doesn't mean... They're not going to..."

Loki held her closer. "Yes, he does mean that, but no, they're not going to do that to you. I won't let them." He gripped the bottle in his hand tightly, before addressing the men. "Listen - I'm not letting you hurt my sister, and I happen to know that I will be taking my sister straight home either way. So here's the thing - we can do this the easy way, in which you let us pass without any trouble, or we can do this the hard way."

The men guffawed.

"Hard way?" The leader laughed. "What you gonna do, fight us? You're one skinny little kid, against all of _us_."

"Maybe, but I like my chances." Loki hoped desperately that he looked more confident than he felt about his plan.

"Well, I'll tell you what, kid," the leader growled. "We're takin' your sister back to our place whether you like it or not, and we're going to take turns having our own sweet way with her, doing whatever the hell we want. So here's the deal - we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Except _our_ easy way is that you just let us take your sister. And our hard way? Well, if you _don't_ let us have her, then we'll have to smash your pretty-boy face in first. So what's it going to be, kid?"

"_My_ hard way," Loki replied.

With those words he threw the glass bottle down at their feet. It smashed, and the volatile chemical inside evaporated instantly, turning into a thick gas much like smoke, temporarily hiding Loki and Iris from their view.

Loki pulled his sister with him as he ran straight at the men, pushing through them. In their surprise and lack of vision, the men were slow to react, and the two siblings easily got past them.

They kept running, blindly, trying to get away from the men, who had now recovered from their surprise and were chasing them.

It appeared that their pursuers were of varying degrees of fitness - some were seriously lagging behind, while others were keeping pace. But the leader was swiftly catching up.

Loki noticed this and pushed Iris in front of him, urging her to run faster.

Suddenly, Loki felt a jerk on his collar, and was pulled back - the leader had caught him. Loki was swiftly pulled into a headlock.

Iris, for a moment, didn't realise and kept running. Then she noticed her brother's absence, stopped, and turned. Her eyes grew wide in fear.

_"Loki!"_ She screamed, starting to run back to him.

"No, Iris, leave me!" Loki yelled, even as he struggled in the leader's grasp. "Run, go home! I'll meet you there!"

Iris hesitated, but then saw the other men beginning to catch up. She turned and ran.

Loki reached into his bag and pulled out another bottle. He threw it to the ground, then reached into his bag, found a match and struck it, before throwing it into the pool of liquid. The flammable liquid caught instantly, and tongues of fire sprang upwards, blocking the narrow alley and preventing the men, who had been about to pass Loki and the leader, from following Iris.

The leader released Loki from the headlock, and then gave him a hard push, sending him falling over backwards. He the placed a heavy, booted foot on Loki's chest, preventing him from getting up.

"You're gonna regret losing us that girl," the leader sneered.

"He hasn't lost us her," one of the other men pointed out. "We can still go the other way." He started to do as he had said.

"That girl knows exactly where she wants to go - we don't. By the time you lot get round to the other side of those flames, she'll be long gone, and you'll never find her," the leader explained, irritated. He then turned back to Loki. "I expect _that's_ what you were planning, you little prat."

"Funny you should mention tha-" Loki stared to say, before he got cut off as the leader gave him a hard kick to the stomach.

Loki groaned in pain, and tried to curl up protectively into a fetal position, but the leader just kept kicking and hitting. Loki could feel his bones crunching and snapping, but the leader didn't care. He wouldn't stop, even as Loki cried out and screamed in pain.

Suddenly, he _did_ stop. He took a step back and glared down at Loki in contempt.

"Let's finish this as true men," he said. "Stand up and fight me - show that you're not just some coward who does magic tricks and runs away."

"It's not magic, it's science," Loki objected.

That earned him an extra kick.

"Get up," the leader spat.

Not wanting to be kicked again, Loki tried to do as he said. But he was too weak and too hurt by the beating he had received. He couldn't pick himself up.

"I said _get up!_"

_"I can't!"_ Loki gasped through the pain.

"_Aww_, is the poor ickle boy-kin too weak to pick himself up?" His tone was mocking, but in the next sentence it turned hard and angry. "Then me _help_ you!"

With that, he reached out and wrapped his strong fingers around Loki's throat. He tightened his grip, and lifted Loki into the air, so high that Loki's feet couldn't touch the ground.

But the worst part for Loki was that he couldn't breathe. He tried, desperately, to draw breath, but he couldn't. He couldn't even make a sound, his lips moved silently as he tried to form words to beg the leader to let go.

Then came another punch, one that caused his eye to swell shut. Not that it made a difference to Loki's vision - it had already been growing dark due to the lack of air his body was receiving.

_"Fight back!"_ The leader bellowed in his face.

Not seeing any other way, and wanting the torture to stop, Loki made a weak attempt at punching the leader. But he was barely able to keep his hand in a fist, let alone lift it or swing with enough force to hurt the man.

Seeing this, the leader dropped Loki to the ground in disgust. He turned to his fellow men.

"Finish him," he growled, stepping back to allow them access to the crumpled form before them.

They advanced, and proceeded to kick, stomp and punch, until all that was left of the boy that had been Loki Green was a twisted and broken corpse.

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**I know, cheerful ending to the first chapter... but, it had to be done.**

**So, what did you think? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Are you indifferent? Please let me know! I value all your opinions, so _please_ review!**

**Just so you know, my plan is that I will _try_ to update each week - but his may not happen, as I am still adjusting to life in the sixth form, which is _hard work_. I'm not even kidding - despite the fact I now only study four subjects, my workload has still managed to increase. Plus, I now feel that one of my subject choices was a mistake, but of course it's too late to change it (not that I know what I'd change it _to_) and I don't want to drop it until the end of AS, in case I suddenly discover that I hate one of my other subjects even _more_. So yeah... a lot of work. Actually, talking of work, I should probably be writing that Lit essay... Oops...**

**Ok, I'll wrap this up quickly... As I said, let me know what you think! And, as I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, this story was named after a song by Erasure, which I think kind of relates to part of the story if you take parts of the song to be metaphors... I'll explain later, when it isn't spoilery to do so ;) In any case, here is a link - for those of you who haven't read my stories before and don't know, my usual method for YouTube links is this: if you type in the YouTube address into the address bar, then copy and paste what I give you afterwards, then it'll work. Unfortunately, I can't give you the full link, as FanFiction always messes it up when I do, so this is the only way I can figure out to do it. Also, I'm afraid I couldn't find a lyric video (as I usually aim to do), I could only find the music video which, as I was watching it just now having never seen it before (I watch all the videos I post links to before I post them, to check that there's nothing unsuitable or inappropriate on them) and I have to say I... wasn't sure what to think. But it was only video I could find with the version of the song that I know, and there's nothing wrong with it besides the two men who I found a tad creepy (maybe that's just because I never have managed to get along with official music videos), so... here's the link:**

**_"Ship of Fools" by 'Erasure':  
_****/watch?v=ekc_aR5LyAk**

**Till next time!**

**_MS._**


	2. April Fool

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Rise of the Guardians_, it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the plot and the OCs.**

**So yeah... it's kinda late... I blame the lit coursework and the furniture move around. That's my excuse.**

**So, hello there _TheShapeshifter100_! It's good to see you (...or rather, hear from you...), and thank you for favouriting, following _and_ reviewing the story! In reply to your review...: I'm not overly surprised about how NaNoWriMo went, to be honest - I've never tried anything like it before, and especially with the increased workload from school... yeah, it was pretty much doomed to fail from the start... The ending of his chapter is less depressing, and not too cliff-hanger-y, as I'm sure you'll be pleased to know (I'm lulling you all into a false sense of security before I introduce the cliff-hangers - _MWA HA HA HA HA!_ *coughs* Oops, I wasn't supposed to reveal my master plan...) As for sixth form... I _think_ I'm keeping up with the work... it's the _sleep_ that's the problem... ;)**

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Chapter 2 - April Fool

Loki's POV

What comes after death is a mystery as old as humanity itself. Therefore, even as I felt the life drain away from me, I didn't know what to expect. Would I simply cease to exist? Or would my soul be transported to another dimension - to a place we humans call _'heaven'_?

I certainly did not expect to wake up, free of pain, in the exact same place as where I died.

But, of course, that is exactly what happened.

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When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the moon - it was full, and it shone down brightly upon me. I then saw the dark sky around it, dotted with shining, silver stars.

I sat up, and looked around me. I had been lying in the exact spot where I thought I had died - though given that I was _here_, I _couldn't_ have died. The men were gone, but sat leaning against the wall not far from me was a girl, who was staring up at the night sky.

Her blonde hair was cut irregularly, some sections cut shorter than others, seemingly at random. She wore a simple, pale blue, wide-necked dress with a pair of black leather boots. To me, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen - which was impressive, considering the beauty of my sister and my mother.

"Are you an angel?" I asked her.

She turned to look at me, just noticing that I was awake. As she did so, I saw that her eyes were a pretty hazel colour.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I... I died, or at least I _think_ I did," I explained. "So I thought maybe you were-"

"An angel?" she finished.

I nodded.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not an angel - but given what you've gone through, I guess it's understandable that you might think that."

"What I've... _'gone through'_? I don't remember you being there when those men killed me."

"I wasn't," the girl clarified. "But you're an immortal now - we all died and were brought back to life, it's how we're made."

"_'Brought back to life'?_ So I'm alive?!"

"Yes, but-"

I stood. "My family! Mother and Iris must be so worried, I should go to them!"

I turned and ran towards my home, barely hearing the girl as she cried, "Wait!"

I reached the door of my home and flung it open. I shut it behind me, before rushing into the kitchen. Iris was sat at the table, looking pale and worried.

"Iris!" I cried, relieved. "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

She didn't respond. Didn't make any kind of movement. She just sat there, staring blankly into space.

"Iris?" I approached her. "Iris, what's wrong?" I was struck by a terrible thought. "Oh God..." I breathed, appalled. "Those men didn't get to you, did they? They didn't... Please, tell me they didn't rape you..."

Still, she made no sign of having heard.

"Iris..." My voice broke as I spoke. "Iris, please... _Say_ something, speak to me... Tell me what's wrong, tell me how I can help!"

Just then, Mother entered the room.

I turned to her. "Mother, I'm home and I'm okay, but what... what's happened to Iris? Why won't she say anything? What's wrong with her?" Then I noticed Mother's expression. "What's... What's wrong with _you_?"

But she too ignored me.

Stunned, I could only watch as she walked over to Iris and put a comforting arm around her.

"I... I'm sure he's fine, Iris," Mother murmured. "You know Loki - he'll be fine."

Iris shook her head. "You didn't see those men, Mother, you didn't hear the things they said... They told him that if he didn't let them... let them have their _'own sweet way'_ with me, then they'd beat him up..."

Mother's eyes widened. "Have their... Oh, Iris... Tell me they didn't..."

She shook her head. "They didn't - Loki wouldn't let them. But I wish he hadn't done that - I wish he'd just stood back and let them have me, instead of being all protective and getting hurt."

"Iris, you don't know that he's been hurt-" Mother started to say.

"Don't I?" Iris demanded. "Mother, one of the men _had_ him. But Loki told me to leave him, that he'd meet me at home, and I _believed_ him. I thought, _'This is Loki - he's _always_ getting out of trouble, he's _always_ fine.' _So I did as he said - I ran. It should have occurred to me that he was outnumbered, that he was just putting on a show to persuade me to leave him, but it didn't. And now... He could be _dead_ for all I know, and it's all my fault!"

She burst into tears, and Mother held her close.

"Iris," I said, confused. "Iris, I'm fine, I'm right here! And even if I weren't, it wouldn't be your fault - I _wanted_ you to run, I _wanted_ you to be safe. I wouldn't have cared if I died, just as long as I knew you were okay."

She continued to sob uncontrollably, as though I hadn't said anything, as though I wasn't there.

"Iris," I repeated gently. "I'm fine. I'm here." I went to place my hand comfortingly on hers.

But, to my utmost surprise, I felt a strange, hollow feeling as my hand passed through hers, as though it were nothing but an illusion.

I gasped, and drew back. I examined my hand, touched it, just to make sure that it was real. It _felt_ real, but it had just passed straight through Iris... How could that be possible?

I tried to touch Iris' shoulder, only to find that the same thing happened. I poked my whole arm through, to no effect. I tried to touch Mother, only to fail.

"Why can't I touch you?!" I cried. "Why can't you hear me?! Why can't you _see_ me?! Mother? Iris? _Please, I'm right here!"_

My knees gave way beneath me, and I collapsed to the floor. I was shaking, and my mind was reeling.

_'What's happening to me? Am I dead? Am I alive?'_

The way Mother and Isis couldn't see or hear me was almost like I didn't exist. But if that were the case, how could I be here? And then there was the way my hand passed straight through them, almost as though I was a-

Realisation and horror washed over me, and only one comprehensible thought remained:

_'I'm a ghost.'_

I had to get out of here. I felt cramped, confined, suffocated. I had to get out.

I pulled myself to my feet, staggered out the door and down the street. I started running - I had to get away, had to put as much distance between myself and my family as possible.

I was dead. How could that be? I was still in my body, or so I thought - I didn't remember seeing it lying on the pavement when I got up. But then again, I _had_ been rather distracted at the time... And I _definitely_ remembered dying...

What would my family find? Would the find my broken body, lying lifeless in the street where those men left it? Or would they find nothing, and never know for certain if I was dead or alive?

At that thought, I stumbled and fell to my knees. Sobs wracked my body, as more questions and realisations raced through my mind.

_'What do I do now?_

_ 'Will I be stuck like this for the rest of eternity?_

_ 'If I'm a ghost, and my_ family _can't see me, then that must mean _nobody _can see me, which means..._

_ 'I'm alone._

_ 'I am completely, and utterly, alone._

_ 'Why couldn't I just die and_ stay _dead, instead of being forced to live like this forever?_

_ 'What happens if I were to die again? Would this end?_

_'_Can _I die again?_

_ 'Do I even_ want _to?_

_ 'I don't want to be alone...'_

I was blinded by tears, which shocked me - I had never cried, not for as long as I could remember. I never really felt the need - my reaction to physical pain was either to grin and bear it, or in extreme cases, such as the beating I had received earlier, cry out or let out a scream. Emotionally... I'd always been able to bottle up my emotions, to hide them. But now, my emotions were so strong and complicated that I had let down my guard.

I remained there, alone and afraid, for quite some time. I struggled to get control of my emotions, but to no avail. I couldn't shut out the memory of the emptiness I had felt, when my hand had gone straight through my sister's, and I couldn't ignore the fact that, if they couldn't see me, that meant I was cut off from them - I had lost my family, quite possibly forever.

Suddenly, I was brought harshly back to the physical world by the sound of some kind of animal. I looked up, and felt my blood run cold.

Stood, not far from me, were four creatures that resembled horses in shape - but they clearly _weren't_ horses. They were made up of some kind of black substance that looked like mist, yet seemed to be more solid. They had glowing amber eyes, and their very presence had some kind of aura that made me feel more afraid than I'd ever felt.

I stood, and backed away, but a whiny from behind me told me that there were more. I turned and saw that, sure enough, there were four more. For the second time that day, I found myself trapped in an alley with enemies on both sides.

What _were_ they? I'd never seen anything like them before, I'd never even _heard_ of anything like them.

I found myself wishing I had my satchel, with the many bottles of chemicals from Dr Garton's laboratory - some of the chemicals would have been useful. I wondered briefly what had happened to the bag - I guessed that the thugs who had beaten me to death probably took it.

The creatures inched forwards, menacingly. They were in no hurry - they knew that I was defenceless.

Why did this have to happen to me? I'd already died, I'd just lost my family, couldn't they find someone else to bother? Someone who had the means and will to fight them?

The nearest one charged at me, and I suddenly felt angry. What had I ever done to deserve this? All right, so I'd played pranks on people, but I'd never _hurt_ anyone.

Empowered by my change in heart, and not really sure of what I was doing, I raised a hand. Just before it could reach me, the ground before it exploded in a flash of flame.

It backed off, and the creatures now regarded me warily.

I gazed at my hand. How the hell had I done that?

Several charged at me at once this time, and I willed the flames, this time, to consume them. I felt no guilt in destroying them - I could sense that they were pure evil.

Suddenly I heard a voice yell, "Duck!"

I did so, and felt a blast of energy shoot over my head and hit a creature that had almost managed to get the jump on me.

I turned to see the girl in the blue dress. Our eyes met for a second, before she leapt into action, dispatching the remaining creatures.

I helped, to what extent I could, but she didn't really need help - she was a swift and skilled fighter.

Once it was over, she turned to me, uncertain as to what to do.

"Thanks," I told her.

She shrugged. "Fighting _fearlings_ is what I do - I was just doing my job."

"Still, you saved my life. Thank you."

"Actually, I _didn't_ save your life - you're an immortal now, like me - very few things can actually _kill_ you."

"Just accept the thanks," I told her, rolling my eyes. "You still saved me in some shape or form, and so I am grateful for that."

She looked uncomfortable. "Maybe, but you wouldn't have been in that situation if I'd explained things properly."

"Well, if that's the case, then... Why not explain it to me now."

She nodded. "But not here. Somewhere we can relax, have a drink. It'll be a lot for you to take in. And I have a feeling you'll want to clean yourself up a bit."

"That's true - but where can we go?"

She gave me a look that I could only describe as sly. "Oh, I know a place. _getting there_ is the fun part."

I regarded her, cautiously. "How do you mean?"

She winked. "Oh nothing dangerous... Just perhaps a little amusing on my part."

"All right then... Show the way?"

She grinned. "All right then."

Her form twisted and changed, until she was no longer humanoid. Before me was a large bird that looked similar to the sketches of eagles I had seen in Dr Garton's books - only this bird seemed much larger.

It took off, flying up into the air, before swooping down behind me and picking me up in its claws, clutching me by the upper arms.

I gave a terrified yell as we swept higher into the night sky, the houses becoming as small as matchboxes.

I looked up at the bird carrying me. It was difficult to tell, as it's beak didn't allow for facial displays of emotion, but I got the feeling it - she? - found the situation funny. I could almost feel her amusement.

"Oh God..." I murmured, as I risked another glance downwards. We were flying fast - the town was swiftly disappearing into the distance.

Why the hell had I trusted this girl? I didn't know who she was, hell, I didn't even know her _name_. She was clearly some kind of psychopath - albeit a beautiful one with freakishly good fighting skills and the ability to turn into a giant bird, but a psychopath none the less.

This really wasn't a great day for me. First dying, then being attacked by - what had she called them... _Fearlings?_ And now, I was thousands of feet off the ground, probably about to fall to my death - if I _could_ die again. Definitely not a great day.

We broke through the clouds, and then flew a little further, skimming the clouds, before the bird released me.

I let out a terrified scream, which was quickly cut off by my impact with... the cloud.

I gazed at the cloud incredulously. Clouds were not solid. Clouds could not support a person's weight. Yet here I was.

"I'm crazy," I murmured, fingering the mist. "I've finally cracked."

"No, you're not crazy."

I looked up to see the bird had transformed back into a girl. Which was she, really, I wondered. Her lips were pursed, as though trying to hold something in.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing. It wasn't an unkind laughter - but it still made me angry.

"Oh so you think it's funny that I almost fell to my death?!"

She shook her head, still laughing. "You were never in any danger - I wouldn't have let you fall, and even if I _had_, it wouldn't have killed you. You were perfectly safe - it was just amusing."

_"Amusing?!"_

She shrugged. "I knew I had to fly you up here some way or another, so I decided to do it the fun way. Sorry, I'm a prankster - it's in my nature."

That, I could relate to. "Ah, right."

She frowned. "You're not angry? I thought you were..."

"I was, but... I'm a bit of a trickster myself, so I can relate."

She raised her eyebrows. "A trickster, huh? _Now_ I see why he sent _me_ and not someone else."

_"'He'?"_

"The Man in the Moon - the one who chooses us all. Come on inside and get yourself cleaned up - I'll explain in a minute."

It was then that I noticed the large house also stood on the cloud.

"How... How is that possible...?" I gaped at it, amazed.

She shrugged. "I don't know. The place is, ooh about..." She stopped for a moment, calculating. "Eleven thousand eight hundred years old... give or take a few."

I looked to see if she was joking, but she didn't seem to be.

"And, uh... How old are _you_?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to ask a girl's age," she remarked, eyebrows raised.

I gave her a weak, apologetic smile. "Sorry... I'm just trying to wrap my head round this."

"It's okay. Physically, I'm sixteen. According to my date of birth, I'm... two hundred and fifty seven."

"So you were born in..."

"I was born on the first of April, 1574," she finished.

"You were born on April Fools Day." I smirked. No wonder she was a prankster.

"Well, the day _was_ named after me."

Seeing my confused frown, she held out a hand for me to shake. I took it.

"April Fool, at your service," she smirked, mock curtsying as she did so.

"Loki Green, at yours," I smirked back, mock bowing in return.

She raised her eyebrows. "A bit ironic that a trickster should share a name with the Norse God of mischief, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "No more ironic than you sharing a name with the month you were born."

"Well, what can I say. My father wasn't very creative with names, and since _'April'_ was a girls' name anyway he decided to name me after the month I was born. My brother, Arthur, was the lucky one - our mother named him." She looked to me. "So what's the story behind your name?"

I shrugged. "My parents figured that Loki - the Norse trickster god - must have been pretty smart, if he ever existed, so they named me after him in the hope that I'd be smart - of course, once I learnt about the god's nature I became determined to truly live up to the name. They named my sister, Iris, after the Ancient Greek goddess of the rainbow, in the hope that she'd be beautiful."

At the thought of Iris, the pain of losing her, and of losing mother, returned. I hung my head, and tried not to appear _too_ upset - I didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of April.

April seemed to sense that was upset. She came over to me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on - let's go inside and get you cleaned up," she suggested. "Then I'll explain _everything_."

* * *

**So, what do you think of April? Like her? Dislike her? And what about Loki - what do you think of how he's handling things?**

**Well, in any case, 'til next time!**

**_MS._**


	3. Explanations

**Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG - it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the plot and the OCs.**

**So, another week has gone by... how time flies...**

**And it's getting to that inevitable point (or so it seems) in my stories when I realise that I'm running out of pre-written chapters... I am so screwed, I've barely written anything since I started posting this story...**

**_In any case_**** I thought I should mention, as I think I may have forgotten to do so, that my ROTG fanfictions do _not_ follow the stories of the _Guardians of Childhood_ books - my FanFictions are entirely inspired by the film, and my thoughts about what could have happened in the past, what could happen after, ect ect... In fact, I've never _read_ the books (I know, I know, I really should... but I'm not getting much time to _read_ either...). So, what I'm trying to say is... just don't get confused when the story of the past April will be telling is nothing like the story some of you may have read in the books.**

**Also, some of you may be a tad confused, if you've read _Friend or Foe_, as to why I'm suddenly calling Pitch's minions (_WHATEVER_ you want to call them) 'Fearlings', when all through FoF I called them 'Nightmares'. There _is_ a reason for the change - a while back, I read an excellent point about the creatures the Guardians fight in ROTG, which was that Sandy and the others had been _surprised_ when they realised that Pitch had been turning dreams into Nightmares, which suggested that he had never done it before. That got me thinking - what would Pitch have had before the events of the film? He must have had _some_ kind of army, surely? Of course, by this point I had read a heck of a lot of ROTG FanFictions, and I had seen Pitch's minions referred to as both 'Nightmares' and 'Fearlings', which got me thinking - what if, before the events of ROTG, Pitch had made creatures _entirely_ out of pure fear, instead of converting dreams? This, in my mind, would be more difficult for him to do, which would be why, when he discovers his ability to convert dreams, he does so. To distinguish between the two types of creature, I am calling the converted dreams 'Nightmares' (as Pitch does in the film), and the creatures in this story (as it is set before) 'Fearlings'. Hope that cleared it up for you (though I have a feeling it just made matters even more confusing... let me know in a review if that's the case, and I'll try and explain it better in the next chapter)**

**So, thank you to _TheShapeshifter100_ for reviewing: I'm glad you like April (does she seem wildly different from Friend or Foe? That's been worrying me), and it's good to know that I haven't completely messed up with Loki... I wasn't really sure how to have him reacting, I had several scenarios running through my head, and it was a matter of pick and choose what I thought would work best (which doesn't often happen - most the time, I have an idea as to how I want important scenes such as that to play out). And you seem to have described my life in a nutshell there - though school seem to think that we don't need to sleep at all (they're telling us to do twenty hours of revision a week on top of all the homework we do... I barely have time for the _homework_ and sleeping, let alone all that! :/ Sorry, I'm beginning to rant again...).**

* * *

Chapter 3 - Explanations

April's POV

Okay, so maybe I should have given him a bit more warning before I flew off with him. Perhaps I should have mentioned I was a prankster, so that the trick I just pulled wouldn't have frightened him so much? I shook my head, a little ashamed. Sometimes I could be as bad as that fairy in the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream... What was his name again? Puck. That was it. Sometimes I could be as bad as Puck, with my carefree attitude and love of tricks and pranks.

I hadn't always been like this - when I was mortal, I'd always been very careful. Nobody had ever suspected me, or had reason to suspect me, of being the one behind the frequent pranks my brother and I pulled - my brother always received all the credit, and that was how I had liked it.

I guessed that the reason I had become so open about my true nature as a prankster since my death was simply because I could be - back when I was mortal, I knew that the people of my village would deeply disapprove of the idea of me, a girl, doing such things.

Yet, sometimes, I regretted the way I presented myself these days. Right now was one of those times - I had a feeling I'd just lost Loki's trust, which wasn't very helpful considering the fact that I was supposed to be explaining the whole _'you're an immortal now'_ thing to him. Not to mention, I had already taken a liking to him - one that I was sure _wouldn't_ be mutual, after the trick I'd just pulled.

Even though he had just told me he was also a trickster of sorts, I still doubted the wisdom in the Man in the Moon's decision to send _me_ to find him. I was impulsive, irresponsible and not very good with words - particularly when explaining things - and I was pretty sure Loki must have realised as much by now.

Still, I lead him into the house, and directed him to one of the guest rooms, where there'd be an _en suite_ bathroom. I then left him to sort himself out. As I retreated down the corridor, I could hear the sound of running water as the bathtub was filled.

The house was large and old, but well kept. The occupants were usually: myself; Samhain, who we all called _'Sam'_; his adoptive daughter Nocturne, who, by blood, was the daughter of the Man in the Moon; and Sam's _actual_ son, Jack O'Lantern. Occasionally Nocturne's twin brother, Daniel, would visit - but due to the pressures of his job as an immortal, these visits were few and far between.

However, for the moment, there seemed to be no one else home. My best guess was that, with the exception of Daniel, who would be doing his own job, they were out fighting _Fearlings_.

My main concern for the moment was finding Loki something to wear - his clothes were at a loss, being torn, ragged and covered in dirt and blood. However Loki had died, I had a feeling it hadn't been pleasant.

I thought for a moment. I could hardly give him something of mine, since I only owned dresses - and I was about a head shorter than him anyway. If I were to give him something of one of my family members, they'd notice and wonder where it went. I couldn't steal from a mortal - that would be immoral, and probably against the whole idea of immortals existing to help and protect mortals.

Suddenly, I was struck by an idea. I started walking faster, knowing now where I was going...

* * *

A while later, I returned to the guest room where I had left Loki, some clothes in my hand.

I knocked on the door. "Loki? You still in there?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't suggest coming in, if I were you," came his reply.

"I've sorted you out some clothes, since the ones you were wearing are pretty much in shreds."

"Oh!" He seemed surprised. "Um... Thank you."

I shrugged by way of reply, before remembering that he couldn't see me. "It's nothing," I told him.

"Hang on, if you pass them round the door, I'll take them off of you," he suggested. He then added, hastily, "I mean, open the door a _little_, so you don't-"

I laughed. "It's all right, I know what you mean."

Turning my head away from the door, I opened it just wide enough to slip my hand round and pass him the clothes. I felt his hand take them, and I withdrew my own, closing the door again as I did so.

"I'm afraid it's not much compared to what Sam would be able to make, but he's not here so I did the best I could," I told him.

"Thank you... Hang on, you didn't _make_ these, did you?"

I shrugged. "Back when he was mortal, Sam - one of the people I share this house with - was a tailor, so now he makes us all clothes. I've seen him work often enough to know the basics, and a bit of help from my powers made quick work of it. I'm no seamstress, and it's not as good as what Sam could make, but... it's something."

"Well, I think it's great. Thank you."

"Really."

"Yes! If you don't believe me, then at least believe me when I say this: It's certainly a lot better than I'm used to. My family hasn't been able to afford something as high quality as this since..." He trailed off. "Since father died."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say to that. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Whatever for?"

"You know... For your father."

A silent pause, in which I could almost feel the shock radiating from within the room on the other side of the door - though _why_ he'd be shocked, I did not know.

Finally, he spoke, sounding shaken and suspicious. "How the _Hell_ did you know about that?"

I frowned, confused. "About what?"

"About my father!"

"You just said it!"

"When?!"

I blinked. Did he really not remember? "Just now - you said that your family hadn't been able to afford clothes like those since your father died."

"No, I didn't... I stopped at _'since'_..."

"But I swear I heard you say it, clear as day." What was going on here?

Then, I was struck by a thought. _Oh..._ I opened my mind and projected my next thought, testing my theory.

_'I think I know what's going on here...'_

"What? What's going on here?" he asked, confused.

Well. That settled it.

"_That_ is what's going on. You just heard me say _'I think I know what's going on here'_, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Now it was his turn to be confused. "So?"

"I never said those words out loud. I _thought_ them, just as you thought about your father."

"But if that's the case, then how did I hear you say it?"

"You heard me say it, because we have a telepathic link - it sometimes happens."

"Wait, a _telepathic link_? That's fiction!"

"And half of fiction comes from immortals. For immortals, a lot of things are possible, including telepathic links. That's a part of the _'everything'_ I said I'd explain."

"Well ," he said, opening the door, now fully dressed. "I guess now would be the time to explain it all."

* * *

After a few minutes, we found ourselves in the living room, sat opposite each other in cushioned chairs with a small table between us, on which was a plate of biscuits and two cups of tea.

"All right, so... What do you want to know?"

He thought for a moment. "How about you start from the beginning."

"The _very_ beginning?"

He nodded. "How did this whole thing with immortals start?"

I picked up a cup of tea and sipped it as I thought how to answer. "Well... So far as we know, it all started somewhere around 11,000 BC. There was a time that was known as _'The Golden Age'_ \- a time of peace, unity, prosperity _et cetera, et cetera_. This lasted for about a thousand years - and towards the end was when things started to go downhill. And, so we believe, the Earth itself made an effort to try and preserve this _Golden Age_. Whether or not it _was_ the Earth's doing, a man came into being - a man who became known as the Man in the Moon. He was the world's first immortal. But, it turned out that he had an extremely large disadvantage in the whole _'save the world'_ idea - nobody could see him. Over the years, immortals have worked out that we can only be seen by people who believe that we are real.

"In any case, many years later, he met a woman, by the name of Elainor. She was the first mortal to ever see him, and they quickly became friends. She convinced her adoptive brother, Samuel Hainin, to believe in the Man, and so he too saw him and became his friend.

"Over time, Elainor and the Man became more than just friends. They fell in love, and Elainor became pregnant. She gave birth to twins - Daniel and Nocturne - but sadly, she died in childbirth. And so, at the Man's request, Sam raised the children, caring for them as though they were his own.

"It was around this time that another immortal came into being, formed from the increasing fear of the people of the world, as the _Golden Age_ slowly fell apart. This man - if one could _call_ him a man - was named _'Pitch Black'_. He ended the _Golden Age_ and plunged the world into an age of fear. Eventually he was defeated by a group of immortals called the _'Guardians'_, but we'll get to that later.

"Before his defeat, before the Guardians were even created, Pitch was hell-bent on getting revenge on the Man in the Moon. And since he couldn't kill the Man himself, he realised that he _could_ kill the Man's family. And that is exactly what he did - he hunted down Sam, Daniel and Nocturne and killed them all. The Man was so full of grief that he couldn't contain it all, and so it became power, a power that healed the Man's dead family, brining them back to life as the world's first Man-made immortals. With this knowledge, the Man then created the Guardians. They were created to defeat Pitch, which they did. Now their purpose is to protect the children of the world, and bring certain qualities to them.

"But anyway, that's not important. The important thing is, the Man in the Moon had learnt how to create immortals, and so, over the years, he chose people to become immortals, to carry out jobs. Samuel Hainin became Samhain, the Spirit of Halloween, Nocturne Hainin became Nocturne Moon, the Spirit of the Night, and Daniel Hainin became Daniel Moon - and he was given the hardest task if all. He has to guide the souls of the newly dead to their rightful places - or at least, he has to guide the souls who don't know where to go."

"So basically," Loki concluded, "he's what mortals call _'Death'_."

I nodded. "He absolutely hates it."

"So what happened after they became immortal?" Loki asked.

I continued the story. "Years passed. Sam built this house, and he and Nocturne lived alone here, except on the rare occasions Daniel visited.

"Then, a few hundred years before I was born, Sam met a woman. Lily Smith, her name was. She was mortal, and married - but her husband was cruel and abusive. Sam found her, one Halloween, beaten and bloody at the side of a road, having been left for dead by her husband. He brought her here to heal her, and then she returned to her home - she had a baby son to look after. They remained friends, however, and they soon fell in love. Then Lily became pregnant with Sam's child, and nine months later she died in childbirth, just as Elainor - Nocturne and Daniel's mother - had done. Lily's husband took the baby boy, Jack, and hid, raising the son himself - though not kindly.

"Eventually Sam found Jack. I'm not entirely sure _what_ exactly happened with Jack, only that he got on the wrong side of the Devil, got in a fight with him, and died. That's when the Man in the Moon brought him back - and so he joined Sam and Nocturne here.

"A few hundred years later, I was born, and sixteen years after that, I died. Daniel - Nocturne's brother - found me and brought me here. Sam, Nocturne and Jack welcomed me into the family. Hundreds of years passed, and now here we are. That's a brief history of my family, and of immortals - though there are hundreds of us out there, so obviously I haven't mentioned them _all_."

"Right..." Loki seemed to be taking it in okay so far, for which I was glad - I didn't want to have to explain the whole thing again.

"Sorry," I apologised. "I know it's a lot to take in."

He laughed. "No kidding. But I'm okay, I think. I'll tell you if it gets too much."

"That's good to know..."

"So... What about immortals themselves? I mean... What _are_ they - I mean, _we_ \- exactly?"

"Well..." I'd never really thought about it. "It... Depends on the immortal, I guess. The things we all have in common are that, once we're immortal, we don't age, and that it takes a lot to kill us. We don't get ill, we don't _need_ to eat or sleep - though it does help us to get energy - and we heal very quickly. We can be severely hurt, but there are only a few kinds of rare weapons and poisons that can actually _kill_ us. Also, we can all tell if someone is mortal or immortal."

"And what about mortals?" Loki asked. "Why can't they see us?"

"Some can," I answered. "Immortals can only be seen by mortals who believe in them. So it really depends on the mortal, and on the immortal. Children are much more likely to believe in us than adults, and the Guardians are more likely to be believed in than most of the rest of us. Those who have just become immortal - like yourself - very rarely have believers straight off, and so they aren't often seen at first."

"But mother and Iris - my family..." Loki swallowed, and I could sense that this was a hard subject for him. "They couldn't see me, but they _know_ me, they _know_ I'm real."

"But they don't believe you are a supernatural creature with magical powers," I explained. "They probably believe you're... Well... _dead_."

He hung his head. "How long until people will start to see me... Until my family will see me again?"

"Loki..." I struggled to find the right words to explain, without hurting him. "I'm sorry, but... they may _never_ see you... Some immortals go for hundreds of years without being seen."

"But they're my _family_... _Surely_ they'd be able to, given time..."

"I don't know. I'm trying to be honest, and, well, the truth is... it's different for everyone. Your family, given time, may well see you. Or they may never see you."

"What do you suggest I do?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't suggest following them around, trying to make them see you - sometimes, even with their best efforts, immortals find that mortals can't see them. Heck, I know of a Winter Spirit - Jack Frost, or something like that - who has been trying to get people to see him for over a hundred years now, with no luck. My suggestion, if you really want to see them, is visit every so often. It'll most likely hurt, seeing them, but if that's what you want to do, then that's how I suggest you do it. But, to be honest? I'm not the best person to give advice on this."

He frowned. "What makes you say that?"

I shrugged. "I was too afraid of what I might find. I never went back."

I could feel his shock and disbelief through the telepathic link - I made a mental note to teach him to control the link. I could feel how he couldn't believe anyone wouldn't want to go back to their family.

"But why _wouldn't_ you go back? You had a _family_, didn't you? And friends?"

I nodded. "Sure. But the circumstances of my death weren't exactly normal for an immortal. I was actually relieved when I realised no one could see me."

"I don't understand..."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but... I don't talk about my death. Not to anyone."

"But why would you be relieved? It terrified me when I realised no-one could see me..."

"Well... Let's just say I had reason to be afraid of what would happen if members of my home village found me."

Flashes of memory surfaced in my mind, memories I'd give anything to forget: A room full of people, a dark cell, the village square, walking to a platform, a hooded man, a rope-

"April? Are you all right?"

I shook myself out of the daze. "Yeah, fine," I lied. "Where was I?"

He clearly didn't believe me, but he didn't press the matter, for which I was grateful. "You were telling me about immortals, what we are. You said that _'it depends on the immortal'_ \- what did you mean?"

"I meant... Well..." I thought for a moment. Where to start? "Well, for a start, we all have different powers, different amounts of powers, and different strengths of powers. For example, you remember the Guardians I mentioned?"

He nodded.

"They're different to most of us in that the more people believe in them, the stronger they are. But, in normal terms, the Man in the Moon is the strongest immortal, and immortals like me are not so strong. As for powers... Some of us have lots of powers - like I do, to an extent - and others have very few. These powers also vary - the Winter Spirit I mentioned, Jack Frost? He can control ice, snow, wind _et cetera_, from what I've heard. But then there are other spirits, such as the Summer Spirit, whose name escapes me, who, apparently, can control fire, heat, sunlight _et cetera_."

"You say _'from what you've heard'_ and _'apparently'_," Loki noticed. "Haven't you met them?"

"There are so many immortals in the world - what you're saying would be like someone telling you that, because you're from Sussex, you should know everyone who lives in that county."

"Ah, I see. So... What happens to me?"

I shrugged. "It depends. What do you _want_ to happen?"

He thought for a moment. "Well... I don't really know. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now, I don't know what powers I have - well, besides the power of exploding _Fearlings_, and I've _no_ clue how I did that... I don't know who I am anymore."

"You're still you," I told him. "As for the rest... You'll figure it out. Everyone does, and everyone does so quite quickly - it takes a few weeks, at the very most."

_'But what if it doesn't work that way for me? What if I'm here by mistake? What if I'm not even supposed to be like this?' _He was so worried that his thoughts rang through the link, loud and clear.

"It _will_ work that way," I reassured. "And you _are_ supposed to be one of us. The Man in the Moon _chose_ you - and he chose you for a reason."

He looked surprised for a moment. "Wait... Can you hear _everything_ I'm thinking?"

I shook my head. "No. I could if I wanted to, but I don't, so I can't. At the moment, I can only hear things that get through my mental barrier - in other words, thoughts associated with strong emotions."

"Do _all_ immortals share telepathic links?" he asked, curiously.

I shook my head. "No. A telepathic link only forms between two immortals if they are similar in some way - similar powers, perhaps, or similar personalities, or if you are related... there are loads of possibilities."

"Any idea why _we_ have one?"

"Well..." I considered the question. "You mentioned you were a bit of a trickster, and I'm a prankster, so that could be it."

"Can you teach me how to control the link? To shut off my mind?"

He seemed uncomfortable with the idea of the link - and I couldn't blame him. If I were in his position, I would be nervous about the idea of a complete stranger lurking around in my head.

"I can," I nodded, "and depending on what powers you develop, I might be able to help you there too."

"Thank you..."

I shrugged. "It's nothing. Heck, if you want to, I'm sure the others won't mind you staying here, if you want."

His eyes grew wide. "Really? As in... _live_ here?"

"If that's what you want. It's entirely up to you. Though I should add, it's safer than most places - this house is practically a living thing... if a few lost souls attaching themselves to the house counts as it being alive... Sorry, I digress - the point is, the souls I mentioned, who we refer to as _'House'_, protect the place - it's safe, and if you want to stay here, you can."

But before Loki could answer, the room seemed to explode in a flash of blinding silver-white light.

* * *

**So, can any of you guess what _that's_ about?**

**I have to admit, the next chapter didn't quite go as planned... but I guess, looking back on how things _would_ have happened according to my original plan, I think that it probably makes more sense...**

**In any case, that's for next week. _This _week, I'm curious to know what you think ;) ...**

***cough* Please review! *cough***

**;)**

**Until next time!**

**_MS._**


	4. The Man in the Moon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the OCs and the plot of this story.**

**So, first thing's first... I have an important announcement.**

**As you will have noticed, I have become very bad about updates. There was once a time when I would manage, most of the time, to write a 3000-word chapter each week. Now... Well, let's just say that right now my writing is going slower than a slug. Quite possibly slower than a _dead_ slug - it's going so slowly it's not really going anywhere. I constantly get writers block, and though I have the ideas, I have no idea how to get them on the page. So basically, my plan is that I am going to stop making promises - I'm not keeping any of them anyway. I am _not_ giving up on any of my stories, I'm just taking a step back. Part of my problem is that I don't have any of the needed inspiration or inclination to write in the linear process that I have been trying to do - but, however, plenty of the later scenes, and scenes from stories I haven't even _started_ yet, are playing through my head like clips from movies. So, instead of insisting on writing the next scene, and the next scene, and trudging on through the bits I'm struggling to write, I am going to try a new writing process - writing whatever scene is clear in my mind, and, when I have enough of them, fitting all the scenes together and filling in the gaps like a jigsaw puzzle. I've no clue if this will work... but it's not like my current process is working anyway. So, what this means for _you_ is that I may not update for a very long time. If the scene I feel like writing happens to be in the next chapter, then perhaps you'll get an update - but if they're not, then you won't for a while. But, whatever the case, I _will_ complete these stories - and I will continue writing! The show must go on, one way or another!**

**Thank you to _TheShapeshifter100_, who, once again :) , reviewed!: Yeah, I must admit I'm forgetting that there is a 200-year gap so some change is to be expected... though, then again, I kind of see April as the kind of character who puts on a bit of a facade - her carefree, mischievous behaviour, though a part of her nature, is a feature that she draws upon and amplifies, in an attempt to make people believe that she's nothing more than a childish prankster and hide what she really is/feels on the inside. Wow, that was a really poor attempt at explaining that... sorry... I know what I mean, but the words aren't really working... Moving on... Considering this universe as an isolated filmverse is _exactly_ how I hoped people would see it - so thank you! And finally, about the silver light... Well, I'll let you see for yourself. And you're right - House wouldn't let them in if they had ill intent. But once someone has been allowed in, House can't get them out on his/her/its own... and if non-residential family members are considered welcome, then House treats as though they _are_ residents (unless, of course, they do something that means that they are no longer welcome).**

* * *

Chapter 4 - The Man in the Moon

Loki's POV

The flash of light was so intense, it felt almost like some kind of explosive force. The light quickly faded, revealing a man, who was dressed all in white. His clothing was very formal, and of high quality - the kind of clothing I had only seen the rich wearing. His hair was also a snowy white - but not because he was old. On the contrary, he looked to be in his mid twenties. He carried a tall, white staff, topped with an orb of glowing energy.

He turned to me, and I saw that his eyes were the colour of liquid silver.

"Loki Green." His voice, though it seemed as young as he looked, sounded wise, as though he had lived through thousands of years. I guessed he may well have done - it was obvious he was an immortal.

He then turned to April, and his voice took on a tone of annoyance. "April Fool."

April bowed her head, fiddling nervously with the folds of her skirt. "To what do we owe the honour, Man in the Moon?"

My eyes grew wide. So _this_ was the Man in the Moon? Wasn't he supposed to be... in the Moon? Then again, I guessed he must be able to come down to Earth sometimes - April had mentioned that he had two children.

"I told you to find the boy, and explain things to him. I didn't say anything about bringing him _here_, of all places, and then inviting him to _stay_ here..."

She frowned, confused. "I... What?"

The glare he gave her was furious. "You brought him _here_ \- what gave you that right?!"

She shook her head, as though not understanding what he was saying. "This is my _home_ \- he's a friend. Why should I _need_ a right?"

"It's not just _your_ home though, is it? You share it with Jack, Sam and Nocturne, you have a responsibility to them to not put them in danger."

She rolled her eyes. "If this about you trying to be all fatherly towards Nocturne... This isn't the way to go about it."

"That's _not_ what this is about."

"That's not what you were implying. So go on - what _is_ this about?"

Unable to speak for confusion and inexperience in this world, I watched the exchange, unsure as to what was going on. I understood that this was the Man in the Moon, but from what April had said, I had thought he was the good guy - yet April looked nervous as she argued with him, as though scared of retribution.

"No one must know about the boy," the Man told her.

Now, she looked half angry, half shocked. "_'The boy'_ you're talking about has a _name_ \- refer to him as such. And as for-" She stopped, presumably stopping herself from saying something that would get her in trouble. "Loki's just lost his family... and if no immortal is allowed to know about him, then who else does he have? He'll have to live alone - no one should have to live like that. You can't do this."

"Need I remind you that, in fact, I _can_? In any case, he won't be completely alone - he'll have you."

"But how can I help him and be there for him, if Nocturne, Sam and Jack don't know about-"

"You will have to lie to them," the Man stated, simply.

"Lie to them?" I somehow found my voice. "But they're her _family_ \- I can't ask her to do that."

"Perhaps you can't, but I can." The Man kept his gaze fixed on April.

"I'm not a liar," she said, softly. "I don't lie."

"You're the spirit of April Fool's day, you play tricks all the time," the Man pointed out.

"Yeah - I play tricks and pranks, and occasionally I have to tell a lie as a joke, like _'oh no - there's a rampaging elephant in the kitchen!'_" She made wild gestures to accompany the example, in a mock-panicking way. She then calmed down, and her expression hardened. "But I don't lie in normal circumstances, and I don't lie when it's important. It's how people know that they can trust me."

"Really." The Man looked unimpressed. "You don't lie when it's _'important'_. Then remind me - how _exactly_ did you die?"

Fear flashed across her eyes for a second, and her jaw clenched.

"Hey! That's not on." I intervened, angrily, before the Man could say anything more. "It's obvious her death is a hard subject for her - you can't just go around _exploiting_ that fact! That's not fair!"

He turned his hard gaze on me. "Life, as you will soon come to realise Loki Green, is rarely fair."

I didn't back down, despite the words that seemed to be a threat of some kind. "Maybe, but that doesn't give us the right to make it any less fair."

April spoke up. "What did you mean by _'as you will soon come to realise'_?" Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion, as though she was on the verge of realising something, but wasn't yet entirely sure.

The Man turned back to her. "I'm sorry?"

She started edging her way around him, though not getting any closer to him, making her way to stand beside me. "You're the Man in the Moon, you brought him back only a few _hours_ ago - so why are you threatening him?"

"It was not a threat-" he started, frowning.

"Exactly." April interrupted. "It wasn't a threat - you're trying to trick us. You're playing on the image that Nocturne paints of you, to try and fool me into thinking you _were_ exactly as she describes, to fool me into not seeing your true intentions."

The Man remained silent and unmoving.

April continued. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but I'm the Spirit of April Fool's day - _the_ prankster. It would take another prankster like me to fool me - and you are nowhere near that good."

"You boast, yet your statements are empty - you only know half of the truth," the Man stated, coolly. "You cannot even dream to know my intentions."

"Oh really?" April remained unfazed. "You see, I think I've figured them out. Because it wasn't a threat, was it? It was a prediction. You have the gift of foresight - you've seen something, haven't you? There's a reason you brought him back - and there's a reason you don't want Nocturne, Sam, Jack or Daniel knowing about him."

The Man looked surprised. "You're smarter than you pretend to be."

"Pretending to be less smart than you are makes people underestimate you," April explained. "Always useful when you are a prankster."

"So I see."

"Talking of you _seeing_ things, what exactly _did_ you see? Why are you so determined to make sure that the others don't ever know about Loki?"

His expression darkened. "I cannot say."

"_Can_not," I asked, "or _will_ not?"

"_Will_ not," he replied, stonily. "It is best for the two of you not to know."

"But this clearly affects us," I argued. "We have a right to know!"

"You don't have a _'right'_ to know _anything_!" the Man yelled. "The future is indefinite - it changes constantly, with every choice you make! The future is not meant to _be_ known - foresight is a terrible burden, and not meant for just _anyone_. I'm doing this for your own good - and this is how you repay me?!"

"We have a right to know, so that we can be prepared for what might happen," April said, softly.

"I will not tell you," the Man stated, stubbornly. "I will _never_ tell you."

"Then I'll tell the others everything," April countered.

"You won't."

"Why won't I? What reason have I got _not_ to?"

"Because you're going to swear to me that you won't - you are going to make a promise that no immortal can break," the Man stated, simply.

Swear on my immortality?" April laughed. "Never."

"April, please. Listen to reason, and just _swear_ \- don't make me force you."

"_Force_ her?" I looked between the two of them, alarmed. "What is this, a _dictatorship_?"

"Hardly," April scoffed. "He rarely gets involved in _anything_ \- he usually just sits back and goes _'oh look there's a problem... Someone go fix it before people start getting hurt...'_ He spends most of his time up in the moon doing nothing."

"I'm right here," the Man stated, calmly.

"Oh, I know you are." April flashed him a cheeky grin, before turning serious again. "Look, the facts is that you're pretending to be a dick so that we won't question you any further. Well you can drop the act, because we've seen straight through it. Just tell us what you've seen, and we won't breathe a word to the others."

The Man looked pained, and his expression softened. "April, Loki, _please_. I'm doing this to try to _help_ you."

"How is being left in the dark, and April having to lie to the people she cares about, going to help?" I asked.

"_Trust_ me - it's the best way. Now April, please be reasonable-"

"I told you - I'm not going to swear." She folded her arms, stubbornly. "You can beg all you like, Moony - I don't make promises I can't keep, and I _certainly_ don't swear binding oaths to do something I don't want to do."

He sighed. "April, _please_. I _can_ force you, but I don't want to - in fact, it's the _last_ thing that I want to do... but I will if I have to."

The temperature of the room seemed to drop a little.

She shook her head.

"Then I am truly, deeply sorry for what I am about to do."

He suddenly disappeared, before reappearing right in front of April, and as he did so the temperature of the room dropped so low that I could see my breath turn to vapour as it drifted upwards in front of my eyes. The Man then transported the both of them to the edge of the room, slamming April against the wall, lifting her so that her feet couldn't touch the ground, a hand at her throat, choking her.

"April!" I cried in shock and alarm.

I ran to pull him off of her, but just as I was reaching to wrench his hand away, he thrust out his staff, which was in the hand that _wasn't_ choking April. It sent me flying across the room to the opposite wall, which I was then pinned against by an invisible force. I struggled to try to pull myself away from the wall, but it was no use.

April was clearly terrified. Her shaking hands were at her throat, her fingers desperately clawing at the Man's, struggling in vain to free herself.

Her eyes, which were full of fear, locked with the Man's. _"Please,"_ she choked.

"Swear on your immortality that you won't breathe a word about Loki Green to Nocturne Moon, Daniel Moon, Jack O'Lantern or Samhain until two-hundred years have passed," the Man instructed, calmly.

I felt sick watching what was happening. From what April had said, wasn't this supposed to be the good guy? Yet here he was. If this was what the good guys do, I'd hate to see what the _bad_ guys do.

I desperately wanted to help April. But I was helpless to do anything but watch. I tried to summon the use of whatever power I had developed, but I found nothing. I couldn't even summon the power that I had used against the _Fearlings_ \- it was as though the Man was blocking my power. Not only that, but I couldn't concentrate - April's fear was so absolute that it had leaked through the link into my own mind.

"April Fool, _please_," the Man said, urgently. "Don't make this any worse than already it is. Swear, and I'll let you go."

Her eyes sparkling with tears, she gave in. "All right... I... _I swear!_"

"On your immortality - my _exact_ wording."

Remembering the length of the oath he had wanted her to make, I cried out in outrage, "Why can't you just go with the fact she's said that she swears! She can barely get a word out, let alone a sentence! Just let her go, you-" I hadn't been entirely sure _what_ insult I would have used, but it didn't matter as the Man flicked his staff, stopping all sound from escaping my mouth.

"I swear," April choked out, "on my immortality... That I will not... breathe a word of... anything to... to do with... Loki Green... to Nocturne Moon... Daniel Moon... Samhain... or... Jack... O'Lantern... until... until two hundred years... have passed..."

The Man nodded, before turning to me. "And you, Loki Green. Swear that you will not reveal yourself to them."

I glanced at April. I couldn't stand by and watch him do this to her.

I regained the use of my voice. "I swear on my immortality, that I will not reveal myself to Nocturne Moon, Daniel Moon, Samhain or Jack O'Lantern until two hundred years have passed."

As soon as I had finished speaking, I felt the power pinning me to the wall release me. The Man released April, who dropped to the floor and to her knees, coughing and gasping for breath, a hand resting at the base of her throat, as though trying to guard it from another attack. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks, and she was trembling.

I ran to her, fell to my knees beside her and, without even thinking about what I was doing, placed an arm round her shoulders in comfort.

"Are you all right?" I asked in an undertone.

_'Not really,'_ she replied in my head, _'but thanks for the concern.'_

The Man had turned his back on us, and April looked up, having been alerted by the movement. Her eyes seemed to show some kind of emotion - something like loss.

"You know, when Nocturne said all those things about you, I never actually believed her," she croaked.

The Man stopped, but did not turn. "Really."

"I figured that you were the one who chose us - you supposedly watch the world, you created us to keep it safe. How _could_ you be like she said you were? But I was wrong - we were _both_ wrong. You're _worse_ than she said you were."

"Clearly you did believe her, in part," the Man pointed out. "You almost fell for the pretence I put on earlier."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But I never thought you could sink as low as Pitch Black."

There was a pause. "Comparing me to Pitch Black. Low blow, April Fool."

"Not so low as the one you dealt me," she retorted, weakly. "Besides, it's the truth."

Another pause. I got the feeling that April had hit a sore spot for the Man.

"Perhaps," he mused, finally. "But I did it with your best interests at heart. One day, April Fool, you will understand why I did this. One day, you may even thank me for it."

"_Thank_ you?" April scoffed darkly, her tone sardonic. "Never - not even in your wildest dreams."

He seemed to sigh a little, before falling completely silent. Suddenly, he started moving again, almost as though time had stopped then restarted, and he walked away from us. There was a flash of light, not quite as bright as the last one, and then he was gone.

The temperature of the room returned to normal. I made a mental note to ask April about the temperature changes at some point.

We remained frozen for a moment, as though making sure he was really gone. Then April let out a sob, as though she'd been holding it in so that the Man didn't see how much he'd scared her.

I held her close, rubbing her arm, soothingly. Bizarrely, I remembered doing much the same for Iris, all those years ago when we'd found out that our father was dead. But this felt different, somehow.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," I murmured. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Oh God, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologise. It's the Man who should apologise, for what he did to you."

"You know... Nocturne doesn't just say bad stuff about him - that's just when she's angry with him," April explained. "Mostly she says that he's a good man, that he means well, he just goes the wrong way about it."

"If you're trying to excuse what he did to you, then just stop there."

"I'm not - well, not exactly. I'm just saying that he most probably had a good reason for wanting us to make that oath, and that the fact he went so far to make us swear... It suggests that whatever he's worried about is... pretty big. Maybe we should be worried too. I don't know."

"Or maybe he's just a sadistic bastard."

"It wasn't like he could kill me by strangling me - I'm an immortal."

"Maybe, but it still terrified the hell out of you, and he _knew_ it would. You're still scared, even now, even though he's gone. I saw you take on those creatures, those _Fearlings_, back where you found me - you weren't scared at all, facing them. Something tells me that not a lot scares you, yet this scared you, and he _knew_ it would."

She didn't say anything for a while. Finally, she spoke quietly and nervously. "You're not going to ask why it scared me so much?"

I shook my head. "No - it's clearly something personal, and I respect that."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing."

"Not just for that though - thank you for swearing. I know it must have been hard for you - after all, the last thing you want right now is to be alone, you need lots of friends to be there for you."

"It wasn't hard at all," I told her, truthfully. "I couldn't just watch him do that to you, and besides - I won't be alone, I'll have you."

"I'm hardly good company," April said, sadly. "Not to mention, I won't be able to spend much time with you, because I can't have the others getting suspicious - if they get suspicious, then they'll start asking questions that, thanks to that _stupid_ oath, I can't answer."

"_Any_ time will be enough. And what makes you think that you're not good company?"

"A number of reasons - I'm irresponsible, immature, I constantly play pranks whenever I can-"

"The first two, given what we've just experienced, are not true," I interrupted. "And as for pranks..." I smirked. "I've always wanted a partner in crime."

That brought a small smile to her face. "Then... You do want me as a friend?"

"Of course I do," I replied. "That's... assuming you're okay with it. I mean, I don't want you to feel you have to just because if you don't I'll have no one."

Before April could reply, the room got a little bit cooler again.

"What's with the changing temperature?" I asked.

"It's House," April explained. "Those lost souls I mentioned that give the house a life of its own and protects the house?"

"How _does_ that protection work?"

"Well, as long as there are no openings for them to get through - like open windows - nothing hostile can get in the house. When we're in the house, nobody can get in unless they knock on the door and we decide to let them in, and when we're _not_ in, they knock and House judges if they're friendly or not - if they are, then House will let them in."

"And the changes in temperature?"

"Well, mostly House just tries to adjust the temperature to one that's comfortable for the inhabitants," April replied. "However, if there's something we need to be aware of that House wants to communicate to us, the temperature drops."

"So earlier it dropped because the Man was starting to threaten us, and then because..."

"Yeah."

"But why now?"

She looked mildly concerned. "I don't know. The decrease wasn't a big one, so I'm guessing that whatever it is House is warning us about isn't actually _dangerous_ \- which is a relief. But I don't know what _'it'_ is."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I turned, to see that the curtain was blowing in the wind.

"The window's open," I informed her. "That's probably what it is."

She looked where I was looking. "The window's not open."

I then saw that she was right. "But then how...?"

She stood. "House. Something's out there we need to see."

I stood with her, and we went over to the window.

As we did so, I asked, "So house can move things as well?"

She nodded. "Oh yeah. I remember one occasion Lucifer - the Devil - disguised himself as Daniel so that we'd let him in. It worked, and if it weren't for House we would have been in _serious_ trouble - House kept throwing things at him, so we realised something was up."

"The Devil is an immortal?"

She shook her head. "Don't think so - I mean, he is _immortal_, just not _an_ immortal, if you get what I mean. To be honest, I don't think anyone really knows _what_ he is."

She parted the curtains and peered out. I caught a glimpse of three figures - a girl, a boy, and a man, before her eyes widened and she shut the curtains again.

"Thanks House," she murmured. She then turned to me with a worried expression.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The others," she answered. "They're not supposed to know about you. And they're back."

* * *

**So... I guess I'll see you when I see you...**

**(If you can call this 'seeing' you... Oh well, you know what I mean... I hope...)**

**_MS_**


	5. Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I do, however, own the plot of this story, and the characters I have created, which are named in my profile. Any music mentioned, either in the Author's Note, or in the story itself, does not belong to me either - and links to videos on YouTube, where you can listen to them, can be found on my profile.**

**Hey! I'm not dead!**

**Can't make any promises about when I will next update, as I still have writer's block, but here's the next chapter (which probably isn't all that great as the writing of it has been going at a snail pace - sorry). However, I do seem to be getting a bit more inspiration as to what to write (typical - I wait for months for inspiration, trying everything, and it finally decides to come in the middle of my AS exams...).**

**Thank you to _JediKendalina_ for following this story!**

**And thank you to _TheShapeshifter100_ for reviewing: Thanks for being understanding about the writers block - I think it's gradually beginning to go *touch wood*, so letting it stew seems to have worked... As for the teleportation thing, it is kind of explained in this chapter, but the reason why the Man can teleport in is because he's considered practically part of the family (being Nocturne's father). People can only teleport directly into the house if they are a part of the family - otherwise they just end up outside the door. And as for the Man in the Moon... he is a bit of a jerk in this universe anyway, but not to the extent that he seems in the last chapter *yet - later stories, maybe* - without giving too much away, lets just say he's seen something awful in his visions, and that he hasn't many options if he wants to try and stop it. He also is, in his own way, trying to help April in the long run... I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop there, before I give too much away...**

* * *

_Chapter 5 - Family_

_April's POV_

I swallowed, trying to stay calm. How was I supposed to hide Loki from them? _Think, April Fool, think!_

"I could sneak out," Loki suggested.

I shook my head. "And go where? As far as we know so far, you can't fly, so short of jumping you have no way off of this cloud."

He shrugged. "Well, you _did_ say that immortals are hard to kill..."

"Yeah, but not immune to pain - not to mention, falling from this height? It would take you _weeks_ to heal, even at immortal rates."

He fell silent. "What happens if they see me? If we break our oaths?"

I shook my head. "No one knows - no one has ever broken an oath sworn on their immortality."

He frowned. "So doesn't that mean that there's a chance that the oaths aren't _actually_ unbreakable?"

I shook my head. "Any oath sworn on your immortality... The Man in the Moon himself keeps you to it. Given that he's the one who _gave_ us our immortality in the first place, who knows... maybe he can take it away."

He fell silent. Then, slowly, he said, "So if I reveal myself to them - if I just walk up to them - I'll become mortal again? I'll be able to see my family again? I mean, that wouldn't affect you, right - because you wouldn't have said anything to them, so _you_ wouldn't be breaking your oath-"

"Loki, I understand where you're coming from - but that's just _one_ possibility. You could die, or worse."

He nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry..."

"It's all right, you miss your family - I get that."

I heard the front door open.

"April?" Nocturne's voice called. "Are you home?"

"What do I do?" I hissed to Loki.

"I don't know, you're the expert on immortal stuff!" he hissed back.

Then, I was struck by an idea.

"_God_, I'm an idiot!" I cursed.

I turned to the window and opened it.

"Out through here," I told Loki.

He did so. "How do I get down?"

I followed him out, careful not to hitch up my skirt too much. "I take you. But no screaming this time."

He chuckled. "I'll try not to."

I closed the window behind us, before turning into a giant bird. Once again, I picked up Loki, and I took off. As soon as we were safely in the air, I took us downwards. It didn't take us long to reach the ground, and when I did so, I carefully set Loki down on his feet, before landing near by and transforming back into myself.

"So what has a giant bird got to do with being the Spirit of April Fool's day?" Loki asked, curiously.

"I can turn into anything," I explained. "Not just birds." I paused. "Well, anything except another human being."

"Ah, right."

I sighed. "I should go - the others will start getting suspicious soon, and suspicious is the _last_ thing we need... There should be an abandoned house nearby you can stay in - will you be all right to find it on your own?"

He nodded. "Thank you."

"I wish I could do more..."

"Don't - you're doing everything you _can_ do, and that's more than enough for me." He then frowned. "You may have a problem keeping all this from your family though."

I shook my head. "As much as I hate it... I _am_ a good liar. I can cover it up."

"No amount of lying is going to cover up all that bruising though."

I frowned, examining myself. "What bruising?"

"Around your throat," he pointed out.

I gingerly touched where he had indicated. It _was_ sore.

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"Ah... Pretty dark blue and purple." He squinted. "God, you can even make out the shape of his fingers in some places." He looked and sounded appalled.

I grimaced. "So no chance of covering it up with a little powder or something then."

He shook his head. "Sorry."

"Don't _apologize_ \- you're not the one who did this!"

"Maybe, but if I hadn't died and come back, if you'd never met me, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Don't think like that!" I told him. "Neither of us could possibly know what would or wouldn't have happened if things had been different. For all we know, things could have been much worse if you weren't here."

He nodded, though I could tell he didn't really believe me. "Sure."

I was about to pursue the matter, when I heard Sam's voice in my head. _'April? Are you all right? Where are you?'_

I voiced this to Loki. "What do I _do_?" I asked, panicked. "I can't stay away - that'll make them suspicious - but I can't let them see me like this either!"

"Actually..." He looked as though he'd been struck by some kind of idea. "You can."

I frowned. "Are you crazy?!"

He shrugged. "Maybe - I don't know. But in any case, this could be a great opportunity - because they're going to suspect something's up _sooner or later_, aren't they? So give them something obviously wrong - they'll ask about it, and you tell them exactly what happened. The Man made you swear not to tell them anything about me - just tell them that the Man forced you to make an oath, but that you can't talk about it. That way, in the future, they'll understand what's going on!"

I cottoned on to what he was saying. "They'll know that, yes, I _am_ hiding something from them, but they'll also know that it's not because I _want_ to."

"Exactly."

"But if I word it wrong..."

"You won't." He gave me a reassuring smile. "I know you won't."

I sighed. "Well... If I'm going to tell them... I guess I might as well get it over with." I made a weak attempt at returning his smile. "I'll be back as soon as I _can_ be - which I'll admit could be anything from a few hours to a few days, I'm afraid."

"I look forward to it. And April?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

"You too."

I turned, and willed myself to transform. This time, I didn't have any passengers, so I took the form I preferred for flying - I became a gust of wind.

It was an odd sensation, but one that made me feel free. No one could touch me when I was like this, no one could harm me - no one, not even the Man in the Moon. The world was mine to explore, I could go as high or as low as I wanted, as fast or as slowly.

I shot upwards, ruffling the branches of a few trees as I went, and flew home as fast as I dared - after all, I didn't want to go _too_ fast, or the poor, clueless mortals below might find themselves caught in a sudden gale.

I stopped outside the front door, transforming back into my natural form. I took a deep breath, before pushing the door open, and entering.

Closing the door behind me, I called, "I'm home." I didn't call too loudly though - a part of me hoped they wouldn't here, that maybe I could get to the infirmary and treat the bruises before anyone noticed they were there.

The other part of me, however, was glad when Nocturne's voice replied, getting swiftly closer. "April! Oh my God, we were so _worried_, after you left so suddenly earlier and then we get home and discover that you _still_ haven't returned... I'm so glad you're all ri-"

It was then that she emerged from a door leading to one of the many corridors of the house, and got her first look at me. Abruptly, she stopped in her tracks, and her eyes grew wide with horror and worry.

Nocturne was, without a doubt, very beautiful - though she didn't make a special effort to be. She was tall, with long, silky black hair that fell to her waist, and pale skin. Her eyes were as black as the night sky, and she wore a long, sweeping black dress.

"Oh my..." she breathed. "Oh my God..." Suddenly she broke into a run - or as close to a run as she could get in the high-heeled boots she was undoubtedly wearing beneath the dress. She reached me and took me by the shoulders. "Oh my _God_," she said again, this time at a normal volume. "Oh my God, April, what the hell _happened_ to you-"

"I'm all right," I tried to reassure her. "I'm fine now-"

_"Sam! Jack!"_ Nocturne yelled over her shoulder. "April's been attacked, get down here, quickly!"

The sound of hurried footsteps drifted to me, soon interrupted by Nocturne.

"April, what happened?!"

"Nocturne, I'm _fine_, just calm down for a second."

Sam was the first to reach the foot of the stairs. He was even taller than Nocturne, and though he too had black hair and pale skin, it was obvious that he was not her father by birth - his features were too angular, and his eyes were a bright shade of green.

Currently, worry was etched over his face, and he held his sword in his hand, ready to fight off my _'attacker'_. Upon realizing there was no enemy present, he sheathed it, frowning, coming to a halt.

"What's going-" he started, before his eyes rested on me, and on my bruised neck.

Swiftly, he closed the gap, taking Nocturne's place, looking me up and down momentarily to check for any other injuries. When he had done so, he then examined the bruising, his eyes tracing its shapes - the shapes of the Man's fingers.

He looked into my eyes, his expression hard to read. "Who did this to you?" his tone was angry - angry at the person who had done this, I guessed.

I looked around at my family - Jack had also arrived, and he was stood still, wide-eyed in shock, too stunned to move or speak. I was going to tell them everything I could... but then my eyes rested on Nocturne. She already disliked her father enough as it was, and if I told her what he had done to me, it would make her dislike him even more - perhaps even _hate_ him. Did I really have the right to do that?

"April. Who did this to you?" Sam repeated, this time his tone soft, soothing.

I shook my head. "I..." I thought of what Loki had said - that if I told them, they'd understand that I didn't _want_ to keep secrets from them. But then I remembered the way Nocturne talked of her father - it was, in fact, very rarely that she would speak ill of him, and usually she would admit afterwards that she thought she had been wrong to. If I told them... it would prove that she had been right, on those rare occasions - and I couldn't do that to her. She'd already lost so much, she'd been through so much... she was a sister to me, and a friend. I couldn't take away her belief in her father - too much had already been taken away from her.

"I can't say," I finished, finally.

Nocturne looked confused. "But... why not?"

Jack shook himself from his shock and approached me. "You know you can tell us _anything_, right? We're your family - we want to help you."

I hung my head. "I know, but-"

"April." Sam slouched a bit, so that he could see me, face to face. "You know you can trust us. Jack's right - we want to help you. We can only do that if you tell us what's wrong. _Please._"

I swallowed. "All right, but... Sam, could I talk to you about it? Alone?"

He nodded, accepting the compromise. "Sure."

We walked through into the lounge, where not too long ago Loki and I had had our encounter with the Man in the Moon.

Once the door was closed, Sam turned to me. "What happened?"

So I told him all that I could. "The Man in the Moon sent me to do something, and so I did it. But afterwards, I unintentionally did something he didn't want me to do, and he wanted me to swear on my immortality not to tell any of you about... something. I said no, I wouldn't lie to you, and so he felt inclined to... persuade me."

"_The Man in the Moon_ did this to you?" Sam asked, gesturing at my bruised throat, in disbelief.

I nodded. "I didn't want to tell Nocturne - I didn't want her to think any worse of him."

Sam's expression darkened. "Heaven knows he'd deserve it, if she were to hate him."

"Maybe, but _she_ doesn't deserve it - she's already been through so much," I pointed out. "And _you_ don't deserve the grief he'd give you for the fact she hates him and sees you as a father figure."

"But... To use your worst fear against you... That's-"

"Something Pitch would do," I finished. "Yeah, I know - but he did it for some unknown reason, which makes me wonder what could cause him to sink as low."

"Actually, I was just going to say that it was downright _wrong_," he corrected. "But it is also true that it's something Pitch would do."

We remained in silence for a while, thinking things over.

Finally, I asked, "what do we tell Nocturne?"

A weary voice from behind me spoke. "You tell her nothing."

My throat constricted, and I turned, afraid, to see the Man in the Moon standing behind me.

"I should have known you'd find a loophole," he sighed. He didn't seem to be threatening me, but that didn't stop me from feeling as though he were - I could still feel his fingers round my throat, could still feel how afraid I'd felt...

Sam stepped forward to stand beside me, his expression wary yet angry. "What do you want?"

"I need to make sure no more sensitive information gets out," the Man explained. "I'm afraid you both are going to have to swear-"

"No." Sam cut him off, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You've done enough. Either you explain what the _Hell_ is going on, or you leave. You're not getting oaths out of _anyone_ in this house - especially not April, not after what you've done to her."

"Who are you to deny me, Sam? You cannot force me to leave, and you cannot fight me."

"I can damn well try. You hurt a member of my family - that's not something I take lightly, Man, and you know it."

"I just need the two of you to swear not to say _anything_ of what has happened today to _anyone_ for at least a couple of hundred years."

"And I said _no_. If that's all you are here for, then you can leave."

"And if I don't? You can't force me to leave, and even if you do, you can't keep me out."

"Maybe I can't, but House can," Sam pointed out.

"House has no power over me - I have always been able to come and go as I please, even to this house."

"You only get in here because House _lets_ you - because we consider you to be welcome here, to be part of the family," Sam argued. "But that's going to change - _you are no longer welcome in this house._"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the temperature of the house dropped dramatically.

"You still can't force me out," the Man pointed out. "Once someone's _in_ the house, they can only leave of their own free will. You know I know that. I know how House works."

"Yes," Sam agreed. "You know how House works. And so does Nocturne."

At that moment, there came a knock at the door.

"Sam? April?" Nocturne's worried voice came through the door. "I think something's wrong - it just got colder, I think House is trying to tell us something."

Sam gave the Man a pointed look. "Leave now, and she need never know what happened," he said softly. "She won't think any worse of you than she does now."

The Man's eyes narrowed. "Is this _blackmail_, Sam?"

"It's protecting my family," Sam corrected.

"But that's _exactly_ what I'm trying to do - this is for April's own good!"

"No," Sam disagreed. "Maybe you thought what you did earlier was to help April - and you'd be mistaken in thinking that it would help - but this? This is to protect yourself - so that no one finds out just how far you'll go to get your own way. So that no one will realize just what kind of a person you are."

The door opened, and Nocturne entered, followed closely by Jack.

"Sam, April, are you okay in there?" Nocturne looked worried, but the worry soon turned to confusion when she saw the Man. "Father?"

The Man looked alarmed to see her there, as though she'd caught him in the middle of committing a crime. "Nocturne."

Nocturne looked between the three of us. "What's going on?" she asked, still confused.

"Nothing," Sam replied, smoothly. "Your father was just paying us a short visit. He was just about to leave."

Nocturne turned to her father. "Is this about what happened to April?"

The Man's eyes flicked briefly to Sam and I, before flicking back to Nocturne. "No," he lied. "I-"

But the moment he said the word, Nocturne frowned. "Yes, it is..." She looked confused. "You just lied - I can sense your mind, I _know_... But why lie?"

"I-"

Realization dawned on Nocturne. She looked between myself and Samhain - who was still stood beside me, his stance protective - and the Man.

"My God..." she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It... It was _you_. _You_ did this to her."

The Man in the Moon made no response - he just stood there, gazing at her impassively.

"How could you?" she asked, her tone angry, her eyes shining, and her voice cracking mid-sentence. "How could you do that to her?"

"It was for her own good."

_"'Her own good'?"_ Nocturne repeated, incredulously. "How the _Hell_ could it do her any good?!"

"I needed her to make an oath that would be good for her in the long run," the Man replied, in an attempt to justify his actions. "She refused."

"So you _forced_ her?!" Nocturne looked furious and outraged. "You sick, twisted-"

_"Enough,"_ the Man interrupted. "I had my reasons, and I had good intentions."

"Oh, you've got good intentions enough to pave the entire road to Hell by yourself!" Nocturne spat, angrily.

His expression turned hard. "You should show me more respect."

Nocturne scoffed. "Why, because you're the all-powerful Man in the Moon? Hate to burst your bubble, but respect isn't something you automatically gain when you have power, it's something you _earn_."

"I am your _father_, in case you have forgotten. And after everything I've done for you, I would have thought I'd done enough to deserve respect by now."

"Oh don't even _try_ and pull the father card on me." Nocturne's eyes flashed angrily. "There's no way in _Hell_ I could respect you as a father - you were absent when you should have been looking after us as kids, you force your own son to do the worst job in the world, you were absent _again_ as we all struggled to adjust to immortality, when I finally found some happiness you tried to take it away, and _now_ you hurt my sister and tell me it's _'for her own good'_. You want my _respect_? You can go stick your head where the sun don't shine! Who knows, maybe you'll behave better for it!"

The Man glared at her. "Everything I've done has been to try and do good, I'm trying to-"

"I don't want to hear it! You need to get your act together and start doing the right thing - forcing people to swear oaths against their will? I don't know what kind of a world you think this is, but there is no way that can be considered _'good'_."

"Nocturne, it was for April's own good, I tried to get her to swear willingly - it's her own fault for-"

"Get out."

"I'm sorry?"

"I said _get out!_ The _nerve_ \- hurting April, then trying to place the blame on her! You... You-"

The Man turned to Sam and spoke, bitterly. "Will you not control her, given you see her as your own?"

"She's not a child anymore," Sam replied coldly. "And, in any case, she's right - you need to leave."

The Man shook his head, gazing at Sam in disgust. "Of course you'd agree with her. You don't want to tell her she's wrong because you're worried that if you do she'll see me in a better light and see me as a father."

Sam looked confused and hurt. "When have I _ever_ done that? I've always tried to get Nocturne and Daniel to see you in a good light - even when I thought you were wrong." He was getting angry. "I've never spoken ill of you to them, I've tried to justify your wrongs... Being absent in their childhood, giving Daniel that job... But hurting April? I can't justify that - I won't even try. I'm _done_ pretending you don't have faults - this is the final straw!"

"Guys-" I started, not wanting the fighting to get worse.

"If that's true, then why is it my own children appear to hate me?!"

"Guys-"

"Because no matter how much Sam tries to pretend, he can't cover up the real you, you-"

_"Guys!"_ I stepped forward, and they fell silent.

The Man in the Moon turned his steely gaze on me.

My throat constricted from fear, but I took a deep breath and continued. "Please, stop it. I don't want you to fight - that's why I didn't want to tell you." The last part was directed at Nocturne. "You've lost so much... I didn't want you to lose all good opinion of your father too."

"Listen to her Nocturne," the Man instructed. "She's the so-called victim here, and she agrees with me-"

Nocturne cut him off, flatly. "Shut up."

"I never said I agreed with you," I elaborated. "I don't agree - and I'm not sure I could ever forgive what you did. You saw what I went through, you know how much the idea of not being able to breathe, or having something around my neck, terrifies me. Yet you still used that against me. That's... not something I could forgive, or agree with. I just don't want to hurt my family. That's what I was trying to say."

"April-" the Man started, taking a step towards me.

I took an involuntary step back, to keep the distance between us.

Seeing how afraid I really was, the Man's tone and expression softened. "April, I'm sorry, I... If there had been any other way, I wouldn't have done what I did."

_"If there'd been any other way?!"_ I repeated, incredulously. "You could have-" I cut off, remembering that my family was present. _'You could have told us something of what you had seen, or at least given _some _form of explanation.' _ I broadcast the thought to him.

He shook his head. "April I couldn't, I can't, I-" He paused, and for a moment his eyes glazed over. "The more I tell you, the more likely it is that things won't end well."

I shook my head. "What's that supposed to mean? It doesn't even make sense."

"I can't say. I'm sorry," he turned to look at the others. "All of you."

With that, he disappeared in a flash of white light.

There was silence for a few moments. Then Nocturne muttered an apology, saying she didn't feel well, and left to go to her room. Jack followed her, concerned about her, leaving Sam and I alone in the room.

"I'm sorry," I started, "I-"

He cut me off, pulling me into a hug. I was so startled that I could only I couldn't respond, frozen.

"He's the one who should be sorry," he murmured. "Don't apologize for his wrongs."

I finally hugged him back, realizing how much I needed this. It was like how my father, when I was young, had held me when I was upset. The gesture was both comforting and protective. Over time in this family, I had come to see Sam as a father - it was only in that moment that I realized that he saw me as a daughter.

I had a family - this was where I belonged. They were the few people who truly knew me, the ones I felt I didn't have to pretend around. But now I was going to have to lie to them.

It was then that I realized I was crying.

Sam rubbed my back, soothingly. "It's okay," he murmured. "We'll figure this out. You're not alone in this, April. We're all here for you."

I sniffed. "Thank you."

"Well, it's what family's for, is it not?"

I gave a small smile. "Yeah. It is."

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**So, what do you think? Please review! (Seriously, my last exam is on Friday - I'm going to need cheering up)**

**Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon(ish) - I'm not sure whether to have April going back to see Loki, or whether to introduce Daniel (Nocturne's brother) into the story in the next chapter. But, no promises - writers block still sitting in my head laughing evilly.**

**See you!**

**_MS_**


	6. Powers

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Rise of the Guardians_, it rightfully belongs to _DreamWorks_. I only own the plot of this story, and the OCs.**

**Bonjour!**

**Guess where I'm at - this would actually be the first time I've updated from anywhere but home, as I don't normally take my laptop with me on holiday...**

**So how are you all? Enjoying the summer? Taking a break from school/university/work/whatever-you-do? I hope you're okay, wherever you are and whatever you're doing...**

**Self-promotion time! I don't know if I've mentioned this before (I probably have), but I have other stories - two of which are set in the same universe as this one: the original story, _Friend or Foe_, and another story which is my own interpretation of how the Guardians ect could have began, _The End Is Where We Begin_ (originally titled _Lost in Paradise_, but I've now cut my plan for it in half, and the second half will keep the original title). If you're enjoying this story and haven't read those, you may enjoy them too - please could you check out at least their summaries? Pretty please? *puppy-dog eyes***

**Anyway, here's the next chapter - you may be able to guess some of the content from its title ;).**

**Thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

**_TheShapeshifter100:_**** Thanks for the suggestion in relation to writers block - I'll be sure to try and find someone I can 'bounce ideas off'. You're kind of meant to feel bad for the Man to an extent (or at least, that's how I would like people to react)... at the moment he's not as bad as he could be (in future stories he gets a heck-of-a-lot worse...). And thank you for the luck - I find out how I did on the 13th, so I just have to keep my mind off it till then.**

**_Guest:_**** What, may I ask, was that in reaction to? :D**

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Chapter 6 - Powers

Loki's POV

The following day, I awoke to a knock at the door. I answered it, and found it was April.

"May I come in?" she asked.

I stepped aside. "Of course."

She walked past me, and I closed the door behind her.

"How are you finding it here?" she asked, nervously. As she turned to face me, I noticed that the bruising around her throat had gone - immortals really _did_ heal quickly, it seemed.

"It's great," I replied. "You know, when you said this place was abandoned, I expected it to be falling apart - but besides the dust, it seems to be in perfect condition."

She shrugged. "It's only been abandoned for a year or so - the mortals around here believe it to be haunted."

"Is it?"

She shook her head. "They just... took a few of my tricks a little too literally..."

I laughed. "So you were responsible!"

"I never meant for them to abandon the place!" she objected. "It was All Hallow's Eve, so I set up a few _'spooky'_ pranks - you know, bed sheets coming alive, ghostly noises, skeletons in closets, that kind of thing..."

"Am I to expect any of these to be left over?" I asked.

She thought about it. "I think they set them all off... Not sure though."

"Well, if one of them get sprung on me, I'm getting you back."

"Good luck with that," she smirked.

I raised my eyebrows. "Is that a challenge?"

She shrugged. "Depends on how good a trickster you are."

I laughed, thinking that I had a feeling this would be an interesting friendship. "Well, I guess we'll soon find out."

"That we will."

We stood in silence for a moment, before I decided to break it.

"On a more serious note, how did it go last night?" I asked.

Her face fell, and she shrugged, giving a sigh. "Could have been a lot better, could have been a lot worse."

I frowned, silently leading her to the table and gesturing to her to sit on one of the chairs. "What happened?"

"Well, first off, I almost changed my mind about telling them. I didn't want to hurt Nocturne, and I knew that telling her what her father did, making her hate him even more, would hurt her. In the end I agreed to tell only Sam. So I did, and then... the Man in the Moon turned up."

"Are you all right?! Did he-"

She shook her head. "He didn't touch me. He wanted Sam and I to keep quiet. In the end, Nocturne and Jack found out everything, there was a lot of arguing, and the Man eventually left. Nocturne locked herself up in her room soon after, and hasn't come out or spoken to anyone since."

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, concerned.

April shook her head. "Who knows? Lately I've begun to wonder if she's _ever_ truly _'okay'_ \- even when she's happy, she seems sad. And when I think about it, I realize that she's been like that for as long as I've known her."

"Why?"

April shrugged. "She doesn't talk about it. My best guess is a mixture of her brother's situation and the death of the one she loved."

"I'm sorry..." I thought for a moment. "Hang on, so immortals _can_ die?"

She nodded. "Certain poisons and weapons can kill us - but those are rare. I personally have never come across something that can, but I've heard about them."

"I'm guessing you never met the man Nocturne loved then?"

April shook her head. "_Way_ before my time. In any case, he was mortal, so if that's what you were thinking..."

"Oh, sorry, I assumed... I assumed they'd be an immortal."

April shook her head. "No, he was mortal. That's pretty much all I know on the subject - she doesn't talk about it."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so we sat in silence for a few moments.

Finally, I asked, "what about you? Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I kind of have to be, don't I."

"Not really," I replied, confused.

"I mean... I'm upset about the whole lying-to-my-family thing, but I can't let them see that I'm upset because then they'll ask what's wrong, and I won't be able to say, and that'll just make things worse." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, I probably sound like a whiny, selfish brat. You've got it much worse than I have."

"No, that's not true, you don't sound like that at all... and I wouldn't say that I have it worse," I tried to reassure her.

She raised her eyebrows. "Says the one who died yesterday, may never see his family again, and can have contact with only me in the next few hundred years. And I'm sat here complaining about having to lie to my family - at least I can still see them."

"Yeah, but trust seems to be a pretty big thing to you," I pointed out. "So I guess... We've both got it bad - so there's no real point in saying whether one has it worse than the other. We should just make sure that we're there for each other."

April nodded. "Sounds good."

Suddenly, my stomach gave a loud growl. April gave me a concerned look, as I realized that I had been feeling rather hungry for a while now.

"You're hungry," she stated.

I shook my head. "I can't be - you said immortals don't _get_ hungry."

"It can sometimes take a while to adjust - actually, _most_ times it does," she corrected. "We should find you some food."

"I'm guessing there isn't any here, given the place has been abandoned for a year."

April shrugged. "You never know - they might have left some behind. Maybe there's some biscuits or something - something that won't have gone moldy." She gestured to a cupboard behind me. "I believe they kept stuff like that in there."

I got up. "I'll see what there is." I turned and opened the cupboard, then gave a yell as a skeleton fell out on top of me.

I turned and glared at April, who was suppressing a smirk.

_"'Not sure if the mortals set them all off or not'?"_ I repeated incredulously. "You _knew_ that was there!"

"Maybe..." she admitted, before giving in to a fit of giggles.

I stood and glared as the laughter subsided, refusing to give in and laugh myself.

She gave me a look, raising her eyebrows and smirking. "Come on, you find it funny too - admit it."

I continued glaring at her, lips pursed firmly into a frown. Her eyebrows, if possible, raised even more, her eyes taking a mischievous glint.

I gave in, smiling slightly. "Fine, so it's a little funny."

She grinned. "See!"

I pointed a finger at her. "I'm still getting you back though."

She laughed. "Have fun with that."

I grinned, evilly. "Oh I will."

She gave me a wary glance. "I don't like the look of that smile. What tells me I'm going to regret that prank?"

"The fact you've just challenged a highly skilled trickster to a prank-war, perhaps?"

"_'Highly skilled'_. Modest, aren't you?" she joked.

I shrugged, which caused her to laugh.

"In all seriousness, where _is_ the food?" I asked, when her laughter had subsided.

"In one of these cupboards, I think."

She got up to investigate. She opened the first cupboard, only to find it empty. The second gave the same result.

Upon opening the third, she was met with a surprise. A mass of furry brown, flapping and squealing _things_ came hurtling out at her. She let out a shriek as the creatures - which I realized were bats - flew past her and out the window.

I watched in amazement. There had to be several _hundred_ \- how on _earth_ had that many managed to fit in there?

I burst out laughing when I realized what had happened. April glared at me, which made me laugh all the more, as I got a clear look at the state of her person - or more specifically, her _hair_, which now closely resembled a tangled bush.

"Not funny!" she objected.

"It's hilarious," I corrected, once I'd calmed down enough. "You were caught out by your own prank - it's _brilliant_."

She frowned. "That wasn't my prank!"

I raised my eyebrows disbelievingly. "Then how else did several hundred bats get trapped in that tiny cupboard?"

"Seriously, I'd remember if I'd set up a prank like that. It wasn't me."

"Then who was it? Robin Goodfellow?"

She paused, staring at me thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked.

"I think it was you."

The laughter died on my lips. "You can't be serious!"

"I am. It would explain a lot - like why the Man chose me to help you, and why we have the telepathic link - we have similar powers."

"But... I didn't put those bats there - magically or otherwise - I swear."

"First off, it's not magic," she corrected. "Second... At first, immortals don't always have control of their powers - it comes out by accident. I think that _was_ you, you just didn't know it."

"Really?" I asked, not convinced.

She nodded. "Think about it: I had just pranked you, and you were determined to get me back. Say I'm right - then it would be highly probable that your powers would come out in such a way."

I shrugged. "If you say so... But how do I control it?"

"Well... It's different for everyone. It depends on how easily the power comes to you at first, and on how easy it is to control. Since your powers seem to be a bit reluctant, I'd say the first step is to learn how to use them at will."

"Okay... How do I go about that?"

"First off, you should eat something - it's hard to concentrate when you're hungry."

She reached into the cupboard and took out a tin. She opened it, gave it a sniff, then pulled out and nibbled on one of the biscuits within. She considered it for a moment.

"_Extremely_ stale," she concluded, "but it won't kill you." She handed me the tin.

I took one out and examined it. "You realize this wouldn't kill me even if it were green with mould?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

I ate a couple, which made me feel a little better. I placed the tin on the table. "Now what?"

"One of the first things I discovered I could do, was make a bucket of water appear over someone's head, then upend. I want you to try to do the same."

"To you?"

She nodded. "To me."

"How?"

"Just..." She struggled to think of a way to put it into words. "Just imagine it there, and kind of... will it into reality."

"Right..." I wasn't entirely sure I understood, but I figured I wouldn't know until I tried.

I pictured a bucket, filled to the brim with water. I pictured it above her head, I thought about how badly I wanted this to work...

Nothing. Nothing happened.

"Gestures can help," April suggested. "I find snapping my fingers helps, or sometimes holding a hand out - like you did yesterday with the fire."

I tried snapping my fingers, but to no avail. I outstretched my hand, concentrating hard on the spot above April's head, but still I was unable to summon so much as a drop of water.

"Keep trying," she encouraged, sensing my growing frustration. "It'll come to you."

—

Several hours, stale biscuits, and changes of approach later, I still hadn't managed it, and April had to leave.

"I'm sorry... I told my family I'd be back for dinner, and if I'm not they'll worry..."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize, it's fine. I'm... I'm sorry for... whatever I'm doing wrong."

"You're not doing anything wrong, Loki."

"Then why hasn't anything worked?"

"It can take time. Adjusting to life as an immortal... it isn't easy."

I was sure she was saying that to make me feel better. "April, I've been at it for _hours_ \- I bet it didn't take you long to figure your powers out."

"Actually, it took me several _months_ just to figure out I _had_ powers - and then several years to discover the full extent of them."

I blinked. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Everyone's different. There are immortals that get and understand everything straight off, and then there are others who spend years working themselves out. It may not feel like it, but you're doing rather well."

"You honestly think so?"

She nodded, reassuringly. "Of course I do. Remember - I don't lie."

"Of course - sorry, I didn't-"

She laughed. "It's quite all right."

There was a pause, before I asked, "So... When do you think you'll next be able to come?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Not tomorrow - I know that much. I'll have to help the others with our duties tomorrow."

_"'Duties'?"_

"Fighting _fearlings_," she clarified. "And our individual duties - so playing pranks, in my case." She thought for a moment. "I think I can come the day after though."

I smiled my thanks. "That's great."

She gave me a small smile in return. "See you then?"

I nodded. "See you."

She turned to leave, and I was suddenly struck by the idea of how funny her reaction would be if I were to tip a bucket over her head right now... She'd be completely caught off guard... Of course, that would be if I could figure out how to do it.

_'No harm in trying, I guess...'_

I concentrated on a spot above her head as she fumbled with the doorknob, picturing a bucket filled to the brim with water. I pictured every detail, imagined it was really there, making it so real in my mind I could almost see it...

Then I realized...

I _could_ see it.

A small smirk playing about my lips, I raised my hand and snapped my fingers.

With a loud _slosh_, the bucket upturned, tipping the ice-cold contents over April's head, who gave a high-pitch shriek.

She stood still for a moment - besides the shivering - before she turned to me, grinning. "You did it!"

I laughed. "I know! I guess I just couldn't do it before because you were expecting it - it wouldn't have been much of a prank. But just then, I had the element of surprise."

She snapped her fingers, turning her clothes dry. "That would make sense. I guess that means the next step would be training you to do it whenever you want to - not just when you think is a suitable moment."

I nodded. "Yeah - and trying out other things."

"That too. Listen... I really should get going..."

"I know. You'd better get back to your family."

She left the house, and transformed into a gust of wind. I felt her ruffle my hair, before she departed.

I noticed all the bats had flown off, which I thought was a little odd - they were nocturnal creatures, so one would assume that being the middle of the day, they'd have gone and roosted till nightfall. Apparently not.

I concentrated on the trees, trying to see if I could perhaps call them back... but nothing happened.

April was right - I needed to master being able to use my powers, at will, whenever I wanted to. And I also needed to work out what else I could do.

I had a while until she would return - I wanted to have full control, and to learn at least one other trick, by that point.

I had a lot of work to do.

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**So, what do you think? Things you like? Things you think I should improve? Favorite character(s)? Just anything? Please review!**

**Till next time!**

**_MS._**


	7. An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: I do not own RotG - it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the OCs, details of whom can be found on my profile, and the plot. I also don't own any songs, films, TV shows, books ect that are mentioned.**

**Hello! It's been a while, I know, but here's the next chapter!**

**So this is a bit different, and is a mixture of a filler-chapter and setting things up for future stories... As a reminder, for those of you who haven't read _Friend or Foe_, and in the time between chapters have forgotten about him, Daniel Moon is my universe's version of Death, the son of the Man in the Moon, and Nocturne's twin brother...**

**Thank you to _Readerfever_ for following and favoriting me and the story!**

**Also, thank you to _TheShapeshifter100_, who reviewed: We shall have to wait and see ;)**

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Chapter 7 - An Unexpected Visitor  
April's POV

That night, unable to sleep, I sat downstairs in the living room, thinking about all that had happened in the past few days. I considered the issue of the apparent limit of Loki's powers, how he had only been able to use them when the results would be worthwhile. I had never heard of anything like it - few immortals actually had limits as to when they could use their powers, and it was never to such an extreme. My own limit was one of the most extreme ones I had heard of, and even then there were few circumstances in which it actually proved to be a problem.

My best guess was that Loki's problem was purely psychological - and that he'd most likely get over it with time. I certainly hoped he did, for his sake - I could tell that his inability to use his powers earlier had frustrated him, and quite possibly upset him.

There was a knock on the front door. I got up to answer, considering who it might be. Loki would know better than to visit, the Man in the Moon would surely know that we'd just shut the door in his face, so that left Daniel.

Sure enough, when I opened the door, Daniel Moon was on the doorstep.

I stepped aside so that he could come in. "Hey... The others are asleep - I can go and wake them if you like."

He shook his head. "No. No, that's the last thing I want right now."

That was when I realized that something was wrong. He was leaning heavily on his scythe, his every breath was ragged and came in a pained hiss, and though his hood covered his face, I could just make out a grimace.

"God, what happened to you?!"

"Long story. I need your help."

"Well, obviously." I helped him towards the infirmary. "But if it's medical help you need, I really think Nocturne would be-"

He shook his head. "No. You'll be fine - it's quite simple. I'd do it myself, but... well you'll see in a second."

We reached the infirmary, and I sat him down on a bed.

"So... What is it?" I asked.

He carefully removed his cloak. His face, now that I could see it, looked a lot paler than usual, and very drawn. Other than that, he looked relatively normal: black hair that currently just brushed his shoulders (I had a feeling Nocturne would take to it with a pair of scissors soon), black clothing to match, and his father's silver-colored eyes.

He then gestured to his back. I went round to the other side of the bed so that I could take a look.

"Oh God..." I breathed, feeling a little sick.

There wasn't much left of the back of his jumper, or his shirt. The edges - though it was difficult to tell, as they were black already - looked charred, and I realized I could make out the smell of burning, and... rotten eggs? And as for his back... there was a lot of blood, but I could just about make out the severe burns beneath.

"You want _me_ to treat... _this?!_ You do know that I'm not all that good with nursing and all that?"

"It's quite easy to treat - I'm the worst when it comes to medicine, and _I_ can do it... or at least I can when I can reach."

"So this kind of injury is a regular occurrence for you?"

He nodded.

"Did you have to guide a soul from a fire or something then? I'm assuming those are burns, though to be honest it doesn't look like any kind of burn I've seen before."

"No, I didn't get this from any normal kind of fire. When I'm guiding souls, I'm in the next dimension - things from our dimension, they can't hurt me there. No, these... these are Hellfire Burns."

That would explain the rotten egg smell - Jack fought using Hellfire, and it always smelt of rotten eggs for some bizarre reason.

"Where on Earth did you get _Hellfire burns_?" I asked. "You can't enter Hell, so you can't have got them there, and I'm fairly certain you didn't get them from _Jack_, so..."

He reached into his satchel, which he had placed on the bed beside him. He pulled out a large pot of some form of ointment, and handed it to me. "I'll explain, just please... Could you...?"

"Oh, right, sorry." I took the pot, and opened it. "Are you sure you don't want Nocturne-"

He shook his head. "I'm sure."

"What do I do with this?"

"Rub it onto the burn."

"Oh oka- Wait, _what?!_" I gave him an incredulous look, before remembering that I was behind him, and so he couldn't see me. "You want me to _rub_ something onto a _burn?!_"

"It'll hurt like Hell, I know, but trust me, once this stuff is on, it'll work wonders."

"Shouldn't I give you some form of anesthetic first?"

"It won't work - that stuff you've got there is the only thing that has any effect on Hellfire Burns. Trust me - I know what I'm doing."

"I'm not sure _I_ do," I muttered darkly, placing the pot on the bed and carefully sliding the edges of his jumper and shirt away from the burns.

"You'll be fine," he reassured.

He shrugged off the remains of the jumper and the shirt, letting them drop to the floor, murmuring something about how they were _'ruined anyway'_. He then positioned himself at the edge of the bed, hands gripping the edge of the mattress, head bowed, his dark hair falling forward, screening what little I had been able to see of his face from my view.

I dipped my fingers into the ointment, then, putting my free hand on his shoulder, I started to apply it.

Instantly, I felt his body tense under my hands. He was gripping the edge of the bed so hard that his knuckles had turned white, the veins on his bare arms were very prominent. He gave an involuntary hiss of pain.

I stopped, but he shook his head, the motion more of a sharp jerk than a shake.

"It's all right," he hissed, through gritted teeth. "I wasn't joking when I said it would hurt."

I kept going, muttering, "It sure as Hell is _not_ all right."

The ointment - which had originally been a bluish-white color - mixed with the blood, turning crimson, so I couldn't see what it was doing underneath. I hoped it was healing the burns, or at least soothing them.

Daniel was silent as I worked - probably in too much pain to speak. I couldn't help but wonder if he was actually planning on telling me what was going on or not. He was always very honest - but he was also very mysterious. He didn't speak of his job much - and he didn't have much of a life besides his job, so he didn't really talk about himself at all. I often thought that he was so honest, where he could be, for the same reason I was - there had been too many lies in my life as it was. But in his case, the lies were in the present - how he always told people he was fine, when it was obvious he wasn't - whereas in my case... Well, as of yesterday the lies were back in the present, so... I guess that made us the same, in a sense.

Finally, when most of his back was covered, he spoke, almost normally. "I don't just guide souls, I-" He made a sharp intake of breath as I moved to an area that was a little more severely burnt than where I had just been treating. "I protect them."

I didn't interrupt, and continued applying the ointment, listening intently.

"Sometimes... Sometimes Hell tries to take souls that don't belong there. I think Demons get more pleasure out of torturing the souls of the innocent than they do out of the wicked, or something sick like that. Whatever the reason, every so often a Demon, or several of them, will try to take the soul of a person meant for Heaven. Part of my job is to stop them - to fight them off."

"I'm guessing you lost this fight?"

He gave a bitter laugh. "Oh no. If I'd lost, I'd be in far worse shape."

"Do you... Do you know that from experience?"

"You mean, have I ever lost?" He shook his head. "No. I _can't_ lose - if I do, an innocent soul goes to Hell. One that doesn't deserve it."

There was a pause.

"Nocturne doesn't know, does she?" I stated the question, rather than asked, because the answer was obvious.

"No. She doesn't."

"And Sam? Does he know?"

"No."

"Why haven't you told them?"

"They'd only worry - and they'd feel useless as they'd want to help me, but there's nothing they could possibly do to stop it." He paused, as though considering whether or not to continue. "That and... they've already got enough reasons to hate my father."

"Well, in fairness, it does seem like he really screwed you over when he gave your job," I pointed out. "I mean, the guiding souls thing is bad enough on its own, but now this?!"

"It's not his fault. He didn't have a choice."

"Oh, _really_. It's not like he could have thought _'Oh, you know what, Daniel's got enough on his plate as it is, with all this guiding soul stuff. I think I'll leave the demon-fighting to someone else.'_"

"He couldn't have done that - my powers that I use to guide souls make me the only person who can effectively fight Demons," Daniel objected.

"How so?"

"Demons can exist in both this dimension and the next, and can switch between them at will. I can also do that - and I'm the only person who can. Therefore, I'm the only person who can guide souls, _and_ I'm the only person who can fight demons."

"But can't he just create someone else with that power?" I asked.

"I don't think he has as much say in what powers immortals develop as he likes to pretend."

"How do you mean?"

"Well... I think peoples powers, to an extent, are a reflection of who they are, what they value... their centre. For example the Sandman's centre is dreams, and he has the power to create and manipulate them."

"What the hell kind of centre gives you _your_ powers?" I pointed out. "You hate your powers!"

"Well... I don't know my centre - not exactly. But... as a mortal I was always very protective of the people I cared about, particularly those I felt it was my _responsibility_ to protect."

"In other words, Nocturne," I translated.

"Exactly." Daniel agreed. "Now, in this job... I feel it's my responsibility to look after the souls in my charge - my responsibility to guide and protect them."

"But that could have turned out in all sorts of ways - you could have become a guardian angel or something!"

"That's where my father gets to decide."

"So basically he _is_ at fault for your powers and all that."

He sighed. "I guess so. But not entirely. He needed someone to do what I do - I was suitable for the job."

"But I'm sure plenty of people were - that's no excuse to condemn his own son..."

"If he had chosen anyone else, how would it have been any better?" Daniel pointed out.

"He could have chosen someone who wouldn't absolutely hate it!"

"But would they really be suitable? Not hating it is only one step away from enjoying it - and _that_ sort of person _really_ shouldn't be doing this kind of job."

"Perhaps..." _But did it really make it any better? Was this what he really believed?_

"You know," he said, his tone a little lighter, "I'd expect this reaction - blaming my father - from Nocturne, perhaps Sam. Not you."

"I guess they're rubbing off on me," I told him, not willing to explain what had happened the day before and had caused me to see his father in a whole new light.

Neither of us spoke for a while afterward. I couldn't help but wonder... how could he live like this? Doomed to spend eternity doing a job he hated, isolated from the people he cared about, lying to them to defend a man who had brought him nothing but pain and to prevent them from worrying... How many times had he patched himself up, alone, gritting his teeth as he rubbed ointment into painful burns...

I shook my head, trying to shake the thoughts from my head. That was exactly why he hadn't told any of us - because he didn't want us to worry about him like this.

I decided to start talking again, to distract myself - and him.

"So Heaven and Hell... They're real?"

"You've known me for two-hundred-and-fifty years, give or take, and _now_ you ask me?"

"Well... I didn't really _want_ to ask. My parents - and the village Pastor - raised me to be a devout Christian. But being brought into this world, I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. I figured if I remained ignorant, I could keep my faith."

"Makes sense..." He paused, thinking. "They're real... in a sense. There are places that souls go after death, but how we perceive them depends on what we believe them to be. So yes, Heaven and Hell exist, in that that's what you'd see them to be as that's what you believe in, and they'd appear exactly as you believe them to be. But others would see them differently - Christians see Heaven and Hell, the Ancient Greeks saw an Underworld... You get the idea."

"Wow." I hadn't expected that. "So what about God, angels... Do they exist?"

"God? Who knows... That's kind of the point of _'faith'_, I think... As for angels? There are beings in Heaven, or whatever one calls it, that fit into the roles people believe of angels, but again, one perceives them as they believe them to be."

"And... How do demons fit in to all this?"

"They're the same."

"But... Why?"

"As in, why does everyone see it all differently?"

"Yes." I'd finished applying the ointment, so I carefully put the lid back on the pot, and washed my hands in a nearby sink.

"I don't know... Perhaps their true forms are too much for us to comprehend, so we see something we _can_ comprehend, and each of us sees a different aspect of them? Who knows..."

He trailed off, and I turned to see that he was attempting to stand up.

"What the _Hell_ do you think you're doing?" I rushed over and caught him as his knees gave way, careful to avoid the burns, and set him back down on the bed.

"Thank you for your help, but I really need to get back to work, I-"

"Under no circumstances!" I objected. "You need to _rest_ \- you are not leaving this house until your wounds have healed and you've had some food, some water, and some sleep."

"April, I _have_ to work, if I don't I'll get awfully behind, and run the risk of losing some souls..."

"A few hours won't matter."

"My father-"

"To Hell with him. You. Need. Rest. Besides, how are you supposed to work when you can't even stand?"

"I still have to go. It won't take me too long to recover-"

"So staying won't be a problem."

"April..."

"All right." I decided to take a new approach. "Just... At least let me get you some food and water before you leave."

He nodded. "Okay."

I went into a cupboard and got out a glass for the water. I looked over at him - he had his back to me. Swiftly, silently, I opened the medicine cupboard and removed a bottle. I tipped a small amount of the contents - which was a purple, sweet-smelling, gloopy liquid - into the bottom of the glass. I then filled it with water. I checked to see if there was a trace of what I had done - if I squinted, the water had a very slight purple hue, but there was no smell, so probably no taste. Daniel in his current state wouldn't notice.

I pocketed the bottle, before turning and walking to the door, giving Daniel the glass as I went.

"Thank you," he murmured, before taking a thirsty gulp.

The kitchen wasn't far. When I got there, I immediately searched for something suitable for what I needed to do. I found a bread roll, some butter, and some jam.

I cut open the roll and dribbled a small amount of the potion onto the inside. I mixed the remains into the butter and the jam, which I then spread onto the bread. Hopefully the taste of the jam would disguise what I'd done.

I put my handiwork on a plate and took it back to the infirmary, where it was received gratefully by a very hungry, and now slightly sleepy, Daniel.

He was about three-quarters of the way through the roll before he noticed the effects. He yawned, and struggled to keep his eyes open. He suddenly stopped looking at the food and the empty glass with a frown.

"What did you put in this?" he asked.

"Sleeping potion," I replied.

He attempted to give me a glare, but he was so tired it ended up as a slightly disgruntled glance. "April..."

"You need rest - so you're going to get it. Nothing you can do about it now - so you might as well finish that roll."

He gave in, doing as he was told.

I helped him to lie down on the bed - on his stomach, as even with the treatment lying on his back would have been agony for him.

"Is there anything else I need to do for the burns?" I asked.

"Give it a couple of hours," he murmured, sleepily. "Then wipe it off with a cloth and warm water... And don't... tell... Noc..."

At that point, he fell asleep, but I'd got the message: don't tell Nocturne. Probably not Sam either, or Jack. This had to stay between us.

I sighed. More secrets. But I understood why he didn't want Nocturne to know - after all, I'd tried to keep what her father had done to me from her for much the same reason. She had enough reasons to hate him, and knowing would only make her worry. Besides, this wasn't my secret to tell. Daniel had needed my help, and he'd trusted me to keep his secret... who was I to betray that trust?

I left the room, closing the door behind me in case one of the others should happen to pass by - though, given the time, _that_ was unlikely. I made my way to the front door, exiting the House and closing it behind me.

I gazed up at the night sky. "Um... Hello?" I raised my voice to a shout. _"Hello? Man in the Moon?" _I then muttered, "Hang on, he's all-seeing, probably don't need to shout."

Finally, I settled at a normal volume. "Sorry, I don't really know how this works. I um... I wanted to talk. It's not about me, or Loki - I'm over that, or at least I accept there's no changing things there... It's about Daniel. You um... You probably already know this, you being all-seeing and all, but Daniel came to me for help just now, and he told me about the whole demon-fighting thing, and... You probably don't care what I think, but... I think you should do something to help him... One person shouldn't have to do everything he does alone - I've no clue what this does to him, but I know he can't be _happy_... And he's you're son, so you want him to be happy, right? I'm just worried about him - and I know that's exactly the opposite of what he wants, but I can't help it, I mean he's _family_, worrying about each other is what we do... I get that you don't think anyone else could do his job, and I can't change your mind on that, but maybe you could talk to him, get him to open up to the others so that we could support him? I just think if he told Sam about this, or Nocturne - though I think she'd worry herself to death, so maybe not her... But they know him a lot better than I do, and maybe they'd know how to help him, be there for him... Hell, what do I know, I'm just an irresponsible prankster who doesn't even know what's good for _herself_, but... Just... Please could you do _something_ for him?"

I wasn't sure the Man was even listening - he certainly gave no sign of it, and why would he listen? I was rambling, grasping at straws, trying to persuade a several-millennia-old, stubborn, all-powerful being to do something he hadn't been at all inclined to do in well over eleven-and-a-half-thousand years... What was I thinking?

"Well, um..." I stammered, now embarrassed. "Nice talk..."

I hurriedly reentered the House. I returned to the infirmary, to find Daniel sleeping peacefully. I sat down, figuring I might as well try to doze off myself - there wasn't anything else I could do, and if I just sat here and waited it would be a very long few hours...

My last thought, before I fell into a light sleep, was of Loki. I wondered what he was doing, and whether he was taking his sudden transition to immortality as well as he made out. Was he the kind of immortal that never slept? Or the kind that stayed in the same sleeping pattern they'd had as a mortal? How was he coping with that?

My worries didn't leak into my dreams however. Strangely, for the first time in a long time, I dreamt of my mortal family. It wasn't a memory, but we were in our old home, around the dining table, smiling and laughing. I think we were talking about something... Or maybe it was the same old situation - Mother scolding Arthur for his pranks, Father teasing her for her propriety, and Arthur and I sharing knowing looks...

Whatever it was, I soon forgot it. When I woke up, all that remained was the memory of their faces, and the reminder that that family was long-lost to me...

* * *

**So, that's that! Please review and tell me what you thought, what you think could happen in the future, and what you think could be improved. In particular, how well do you think I treated the religious issues here? I tried my best to make it religion-neutral, so to speak, but I'm not sure how well I've managed it...**

**I've no clue how long it'll take me to write the next chapter, as the next few months are going to be interesting... Added to the usual work of Sixth Form, I have a driving test, an audition/interview, a Grade 8 Flute exam, a couple of events at school, and... you get the idea. A lot. But, I'll do what I can...**

**Till next time!**

**_MS._**


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